Kamala Harris became the first woman to be elected as the vice president of the United States of America. This is a remarkable achievement.
Her first year with the vice presidential badge, however, has not been without its challenges.
The Ratings are Looking Pretty Poor for Harris
It has not been an easy task. Harris’ popularity has plummeted. The president has charged her with a variety of tasks that range from difficult to nearly impossible to do. High-profile resignations have plagued her office.
Harris’ assumption that she would be branded as the Democrat rightful heir to the White House after accepting her party’s VP selection was quick to be rejected.
While Biden stated in a media briefing on Wednesday that if he stands for re-election, he will keep her as his partner, it is unclear whether this will put an end to rumors about Harris’ future in politics.
So, what precisely has gone horribly wrong for her, and how can she fix it? There are no simple explanations and just a few simple solutions.
DAILY MAIL: Kamala Harris is considering MORE TV interviews with her new team of aides hoping it will help resuscitate Democrats' 'faith' in her after series of low polls and blunders
— Election Wizard 🇺🇸 (@ElectionWiz) January 15, 2022
Without a question, it was an unappealing poll. As per a November poll conducted by USA Today, Harris has a public popularity rating of 28%.
This is ranking her one of the lowest-rated vice presidents in recent history, even lower than the author of the Iraq War, Dick Cheney, who was despised by Democrats.
That “comically terrible” poll, as the San Francisco Chronicle described it, was the catalyst for the wave of “what’s awry with Kamala Harris” headlines that filled the second half of 2021.
The poll effectively characterized the vice presidential debate as one of hardship and failure. However, upon closer examination, the survey looks to be an outlier. It appeared to be particularly unpleasant since 21% of participants were uncertain about Harris.
Just over 50% of those polled had a poor opinion of the vice president, which is comparable to Mr. Biden’s low scores.
Following surveys, her popularity grew closer to Biden’s, which is consistent with historical tendencies in which vice presidential popularity lags behind that of the president.
The forces dragging Harris down, according to Cliff Young, director of Ipsos’ US Public Affairs, are the same as dragging her employer down: the COVID epidemic and the recession.
Young believes that if Biden’s support rises as a result of Americans’ perceptions that their concerns are being handled, her popularity will rise as well.
It’s Not All Doom and Gloom
On the one-year anniversary of the inauguration, @VP Kamala Harris shares what the Biden administration is focused on — and how they are responding to low poll numbers: “Polls go up and down, but we have to remain consistent in fighting for the American people and their needs.” pic.twitter.com/Z6mlEGWhuV
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) January 20, 2022
Most polls position Harris near the top of the list of potential Democratic presidential contenders for 2024. She still seems to have political influence, at least inside her own party, and particularly among women and minorities.
She’s also in charge of implementing nationwide voting reform. After Trump’s claims of election fraud in the 2020 election, some Republican-controlled areas have passed regulations restricting options to make voting easier to cheat, such as absentee voting and using vote drop boxes.
Harris was tasked with shepherding national changes through Congress that would preempt these state-level efforts.
