Almost 7 out of 10 Democrats and Independents would support Kamala Harris if Biden stepped down

A new poll by Way to Win, a progressive group that connects donors with campaigns, has revealed strong support for Kamala Harris to take over the ticket if Biden were to step down. Overall, almost 7 out of 10 respondents said they'd support the Vice-president in the hypothetical scenario.

The results of the poll were less skewed among Latinos, as 52% of them said the would support Harris.

"Many are very supportive of Biden and his accomplishments, and would be unhappy for him to step aside," explained the study. "But "relief" was also one of the most common sentiments, driving home the fact that, whether people prefer Biden or Harris, the first thing on many voters' minds is beating Trump."

When it comes to assessing Harris's strengths, "intelligence" was chosen by almost twice as many respondents as the next highest traits: being experienced, ethical, worthy of respect, and hard-working. Open-ended responses included the words "smart" and "intelligent" with "strong" as the clear #2 answer.

Notably, a lot of people say they haven't heard much about her, or feel that she hasn't been visible.

Way to Win president Tory Gavito explained some of the conclusions of the poll to Axios:

"What's more striking is there's more room to grow. Because she's doing well with young people and voters of color particularly, it shows that we can continue to raise the feeling with those critical portions of the Democratic base that Biden's been struggling with over the course of the cycle."

The study itself provides a few policy announcements that could boost Harris's support. For example, 53% of respondents said "they'd feel "much better," and another 22% "somewhat better," if she endorsed SCOTUS reforms, including adding Justices to the Supreme Court." Elsewhere, 33% would feel much better-plus 30% somewhat better-if she announced a more progressive policy on criminal justice reform.

"She would also gain significant support with young voters, while potentially alienating few older ones, if she announced a break with Biden on Israel and Gaza policy and/or a more generous student loan forgiveness program," concluded the study.