Could Kamala Harris be the key to locking up swing state votes for Biden?

Ms Harris has been raising her profile through trips to swing states to attack Republicans on issues such as reproductive rights

Vice President Kamala Harris and comedian and author DL Hughley take a selfie with the crowd during an event at Discovery World Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) (AP)

An increasingly large percentage of voters in key swing states say they are confident in Vice President Kamala Harris’ ability to serve as president if President Joe Biden is unable to serve out his term for any reason, potentially neutralizing a Republican attack line over Mr Biden’s age.

According to a poll commissioned by Bloomberg News and conducted by Morning Consult earlier this month, nearly half of swing state voters — 48 per cent — now trust Ms Harris to take over the presidency in Mr Biden’s stead.

The survey results on that topic are the most positive set of responses for Ms Harris since voters were first asked about their confidence in her last October.

Ms Harris still falls far behind her and Mr Biden’s presumptive Republican opponent, former president Donald Trump, in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup, with the poll finding that Mr Trump holds a seven-point lead over the vice president.

Yet respondents also say Ms Harris is their top choice to take on Mr Trump if Mr Biden can’t finish the 2024 campaign, chosing her over other potential presidential hopefuls like Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Maryland Governor Wes Moore and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.

The vice president is the first woman, the first African-American and the first person of Asian descent to serve in her position.

Initially, her public profile was beset by a series of gaffes, stumbles and awkward moments, while her policy portfolio was saddled with unfavorable issues such as dealing with the root causes of migration and voting rights.

But the White House and President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign have spent the last year using her in more pugilistic roles by sending her out to push back on Republican efforts to ban books and restrict reproductive rights.