The Harris Surge: Is It More Than Just Inflation?

When Biden was the Democratic presidential candidate, high inflation negatively impacted his polling numbers, allowing Trump to take the lead. However, after Biden hypothetically dropped out and Harris became the candidate, her polling numbers surged ahead of Trump`s, despite inflation remaining relatively unchanged. This begs the question: why is Harris seemingly not being penalized for inflation, while it was detrimental to Biden`s performance? Some possible explanations include voters placing more blame for inflation on Biden than Harris, or that Biden`s declining popularity might be more personal than economic. This unexpected turn of events, with Harris seemingly not carrying the burden of Biden`s economic record, could be advantageous for Democrats in the election. This is further supported by the observation that despite inflation being a major concern in the 2022 midterm elections, it didn`t significantly hinder Democratic performance.