Poll: Arizona's Kelly is most liked as Harris' VP pick, but the field isn't well known

Of the candidates talked about as possibly being in the final three for Vice President Harris’ running mate, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly has the highest favorability rating, but half say they are unsure or don’t have an opinion even of him, according to the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll.

Kelly gets a 31% favorable rating, while 18% have an unfavorable one. Still, 52% said they are unsure or never heard of him.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, widely viewed as a finalist for the job, has a 25%-23% favorable-unfavorable rating, with 53% unsure.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a favorite of progressives on Capitol Hill, is largely unknown with 71% saying they don’t have an opinion of him at this point.

Harris is expected to make the selection Tuesday and hold an event with her VP pick in Philadelphia Tuesday evening. Then the two will continue a seven-state tour of the most closely watched swing states.

Where name recognition helps

Kelly — an astronaut who is married to former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was severely wounded in a mass shooting — may be benefiting from slightly higher name recognition.

“He’s, at times, had more national coverage, while others are more regional,” said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, which conducted the survey of 1,613 adults.

The poll was taken from Thursday through Sunday and has a +/- 3.3 percentage point margin of error, meaning results could be about 3 points higher or lower. Respondents were reached via cellphone, landline or online research panels in both English and Spanish.

Notably, Kelly is viewed 15 points more favorably than Shapiro among Democrats and 9 points higher with independents. In a Marist survey taken last month, Shapiro was marginally better liked by Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents than Kelly, and the overall favorites by a small margin among the group at that time were Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Shapiro has faced more scrutiny than other candidates in the past week, particularly from progressives, some of whom view him as too moderate. But presidential elections are about balance, and Shapiro being viewed as a moderate will likely be seen as a positive trait for Harris, because of her need to win over swing voters.

The Democratic VP possibilities are all viewed more favorably than former President Donald Trump’s pick, JD Vance. Just 34% of national adults have a favorable view of him, while 43% have an unfavorable one. That includes a majority of independents — 55% — who said they have a negative view of Vance. Just two-thirds of Republicans have a positive view.

Harris’ image improves

For all the talk of Harris’ potential running mate, the most important people on the ticket are at the top. And since Marist’s last survey, Harris' image has improved from 40% positive, 44% negative to 46% favorable, 48% unfavorable.

While that’s still slightly under water, it’s higher than views of Trump – 53% now say they have a negative view of the former president, while just 44% have a positive one. That 53% unfavorable score is 4 points higher than last month’s Marist survey taken right after the Republican National Convention and after the assassination attempt on his life. It is about where views of Trump have been for years.