Kamala Harris is gaining swing-state voters' trust to step in for Biden

Vice President Kamala Harris is increasingly endearing herself to swing-state voters, a development that if it persists, stands to neutralize Republican attacks around Joe Biden’s age.

Nearly half of swing-state voters, 48%, say they trust Harris to fulfill the duties of the presidency if Biden were no longer able to serve, according to a Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll conducted in early May. The reading marks the highest level of confidence since the survey was first conducted in October.

In recent months, Harris — the first woman, Black or Asian vice president — has held a series of high-profile events that resonate with key parts of the Democratic base. They include a historic visit to a Minnesota abortion clinic, a nod to the rollback of federal reproductive rights that has galvanized women voters, and an impassioned speech at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, a landmark of the Civil Rights era. Harris and the administration have also leaned into detailing her personal arc and record in public office.

Republicans have sought to attack Biden’s fitness for a second term by casting her as unprepared to take his place. Polling shows voters are more concerned about the fitness of Biden, 81, for office than Donald Trump, four years younger at 77.

—Bloomberg News

The race to replace Andy Kim: 9 people are running for the seat in the New Jersey primaries

Five New Jersey Democrats and four Republicans are running in primaries to replace U.S. Rep. Andy Kim in the U.S. House.

On the Democratic side, two New Jersey General Assembly members could have an advantage over a handful of political outsiders in the open seat race. In the Republican race, one candidate leads in fundraising while another has support from the GOP establishment.

The 3rd Congressional District includes almost all of Burlington County and parts of Mercer County, which lean Democratic, and parts of Republican-leaning Monmouth County. Democrats make up nearly 36% of voters in the district, and Republicans make up a little more than 26%. Unaffiliated voters outnumber both parties at nearly 37%, as of May.

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