If Kamala Harris replaces Joe Biden, survey shows Donald Trump’s lead in the polls would only increase

 Following President Joe Biden's disastrous debate performance, a survey has found that if the Democrats decide to replace him with Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Donald Trump's lead in the polls would actually increase.

This is according to a post-debate poll conducted by research company HarrisX, which was done between June 28 and 30 among 1,500 registered voters.  

The poll found that, if given the choice between Trump or Harris, 49 percent of voters prefer Trump and only 42 percent prefer Harris, with the remaining nine percent of voters undecided.

Without the option to choose undecided, Trump still leads with 53 percent of voters preferring the former president while only 47 percent would choose Harris.

When including three third-party candidates – independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Green Party candidate Jill Stein and independent candidate Cornel West – Trump still leads with 43 percent voter support against Harris' 38 percent. Kennedy would garner 16 percent of the vote and Stein and West would get two percent support each.

The possibility of Harris replacing Biden comes as sources within the Democratic Party view the vice president as a plausible successor due to her potential to seamlessly take over the Biden-Harris campaign's fundraising efforts and existing campaign infrastructure.

Party insiders are also concerned about possibly losing Black voters if they decide to bypass Harris, a Black woman, for another candidate. 

Despite these considerations, Harris' performance as vice president has been seen as overwhelmingly negative, with her lack of popularity only surpassed by the negative view Americans have of Biden.

Trump also favored against any other potential replacement for Biden

Analysts note that while Harris might be a viable replacement for Biden, the Democratic Party might come out of Nov. 5 on more solid footing if Biden continued to run against Trump.

Furthermore, a Reuters/IPSOS survey has found that any other potential replacement the Democratic Party could field to run in Biden's place would likely be defeated by Trump.

This survey found that Trump would defeat California Gov. Gavin Newsom 42 percent to 39 percent, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer 41 percent to 36 percent, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear 40 percent to 36 percent and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker 40 percent to 34 percent.

The survey only shows one individual leading Trump – former First Lady Michelle Obama, who has made it clear time and again that she is not interested in running for president.

"As former First Lady Michelle Obama has expressed several times over the years, she will not be running for president," said Crystal Carson, director of communications for the Obama family's office. "Mrs. Obama supports President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris' reelection campaign."

This same survey found that a decent portion of Americans – including 32 percent of registered Democrats polled – want Biden replaced with a different candidate.