- Kamala Harris is reportedly plotting a path to the White House in 2028 while also supporting Biden's re-election bid this year
- The vice president is doing good work in South Carolina, where she has invested in building personal relationships with community leaders
- However, recent national polls show Harris is still largely unpopular in the rest of the country
Kamala Harris is reportedly plotting a path to the White House in 2028 while also supporting Biden's re-election bid this year.
Harris is doing well in South Carolina, the first recognized Democratic presidential primary, which takes place on Saturday.
The vice president, who is expected to help improve Biden's electorate among black and younger voters, has made nine visits to the state with a predominantly African-American primary election electorate since taking office.
Prominent South Carolina Democrats are already offering their support to Harris for a future presidential run.
“I made it very clear months ago that I support her,” Rep. James E. Clyburn told the New York Times.
Kamala Harris is plotting her path to the White House in 2028 while also supporting Biden's re-election bid this year
Recent national polls show Harris is still largely unpopular in the rest of the country
“That's why we have to choose the ticket again. After that, talk about profitability,” he explained.
“There is an unspoken language between the vice president and African-American women in this state,” Trav Robertson, a former chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party, told the Times.
“She doesn't have to walk into a room and say things – because they already know they have a shared experience,” he added.
However, recent national polls show Harris is still largely unpopular in the rest of the country.
According to a January 19 poll by the Five Thirty Eight Project, 53.5 percent of Americans disapprove of the vice president and only 37.5 percent approve of him.
A poll conducted by Democratic fundraising giant Emily's List found that Harris had high popularity ratings among key parts of the Democratic coalition, including black women, younger voters and college graduates.
Harris appears to be continuing to play to her strengths and build on bases where she is already popular, such as South Carolina
However, the survey conducted last year found that it was still largely unknown to many.
About a third of Democratic and independent voters did not know her personal history, her background as California's attorney general and junior senator or what she had done as vice president, the poll found.
Still, Harris appears to be continuing to play to her strengths and build on bases where she's already popular, such as South Carolina.
“In 2020, it was South Carolina that put President Joe Biden and me on the path to the White House,” Harris told a crowd in Orangeburg on Friday.
“Because of this work, Joe Biden is President of the United States and I am the first woman and the first Black woman to be Vice President of the United States,” she said.
“She has built real, connected relationships here, particularly with the black community, but also with women and young people,” JA Moore, a Democratic state representative in South Carolina, told the Times.
“Just their appearance in places goes a long way,” she added.