A new poll finds Democrats have slightly more confidence in Vice President Harris’ ability to tackle climate change than President Biden.
An Associated Press-NORC Research Center poll released this week found that 85% of Democrats have “a lot” or “some” confidence in Harris on addressing climate change, while only about three-quarters say the same about Biden.
Democrats under 45 are even more likely to trust the vice president than the president, with three in four saying they have “a lot” or “some” confidence in Harris to tackle climate issues, and about 60% saying the same about Biden. Meanwhile, the Associated Press noted that older Democrats are more likely than younger people to trust either Biden or Harris.
Still, younger Democrats are more likely to feel the emotional weight of climate change, according to the newswire: About 6 in 10 Democrats under 45 said they were “very concerned” or “very” concerned about how they feel on the issue, compared with about a third of older Democrats.
The poll came just weeks after Biden dropped out of the race and Harris rose to the top of the Democratic presidential field, galvanizing her party’s base and narrowing the gap with former President Donald Trump, who held a lead when he faced Biden.
Environmentalists and climate hawks have been quick to point to Harris’ history of investigating the oil industry and her support for the Green New Deal, a package of climate change measures introduced in 2019 by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), which she supports.
While environmental issues will not be a major part of Harris’ work as vice president, supporters told The Hill last month that she is seen as someone with environmental connections who can galvanize enthusiasm among young, progressive voters.
As a senator and presidential candidate, Harris has taken positions to the left of Biden on climate and energy issues, and while running for the Democratic nomination she supported a ban on fracking, but appeared to reverse her stance earlier this month.
Hydraulic fracturing is a method of extracting oil and gas from shale rock by injecting a mixture of water, sand and chemicals into the rock. The use of this method is a key part of the “shale revolution” that has established the United States as a major oil and gas producer.
The AP-NORC poll was conducted July 25-29 among 1,143 adults. The margin of error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.
