California Sen. Kamala Harris, who indisputably made waves after the first round of Democratic presidential debates where she successfully dismantled former president Joe Biden on the busing issue, isn’t fairing so well as of late.
According to the latest CNN polling data, Harris had plummeted significantly in the polls, going from 17 percent support in a June poll to a shocking five percent in the latest iteration.
The June poll was conducted shortly after the first round of debates in June, which showed Harris surge after she was rewarded for taking on front-runner and political giant Joe Biden.
Even after his not-so-impressive performance in the first debate, Biden still maintained his first-place status.
However, while Harris’s drop was the most significant in the latest poll, which was taken last week, Biden regained his commanding lead over the large field of contenders, snagging a total of 29 percent support. That number is seven points higher than his previously polling data and gives Biden a comfortable double-digit lead over his competition.
The two Democratic candidates fighting for second-place, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, held their positions with little to no change at 15 percent and 14 percent, respectively.
South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg scored five percent support in the new CNN poll, tying with Harris.
Former Texas lawmaker Beto O’Rourke, along with Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Sen. Cory Booker and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro all scored two percent support. That was especially helpful for Castro since CNN polling is one of the polls that can help qualify a candidate for the next debate.
Castro secured his spot in the third debate with his latest polling numbers, making him the tenth Democratic candidate who will appear in the ABC-hosted debate on September 12 and September 13.
A CNN/ SSRS poll shows Joe Biden gains 7 points and Sen. Harris is down 12 points since June.
Watch @Morning_Joe break down the numbers. https://t.co/yUev7SyDl6
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) August 20, 2019
Gabbard went toe-to-toe with Harris in the second Democratic debate over her record of incarcerating thousands of people for marijuana offenses and accused the former attorney general of blocking evidence and using inmates as “cheap labor” in California, according to Washington Examiner .
“The bottom line is, Sen. Harris, when you were in a position to make a difference and an impact in these people’s lives, you did not. And worse yet, in the case of those who were on death row, innocent people, you actually blocked evidence from being revealed that would have freed them until you were forced to do so,” Gabbard said as she continued to hammer Harris during the debate.
Harris later tried to spin the exchange in a positive light, explaining that her “top-tier candidate” status made her a target before taking a shot at Gabbard’s low polling numbers, implying that her attacks didn’t mean much.
Gabbard was touted as a clear winner in that fiery exchange and though the gain was small, unlike Harris, she managed to move up in the latest CNN poll.
