As for Harris, a New York Times story published recently quoted several anonymous Democrats who attacked her over her unpopularity and predicted as well that she would not replace Biden.
“Even some Democrats whom her own advisers referred reporters to for supportive quotes confided privately that they had lost hope in her,” says the report from Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Katie Rogers, and Peter Baker.
The report went on to note that a “panic” has emerged within Democratic ranks as many begin to question whether an 80-year-old Biden will even run again, leaving Harris as the next obvious, though unappealing, choice.
“Through much of the fall, a quiet panic set in among key Democrats about what would happen if President Biden opted not to run for a second term. Most Democrats interviewed, who insisted on anonymity to avoid alienating the White House, said flatly that they did not think Ms. Harris could win the presidency in 2024,” the Times report noted. “Some said the party’s biggest challenge would be finding a way to sideline her without inflaming key Democratic constituencies that would take offense.”