Southwest
Focus group of voters offer ‘brutal’ take of VP Harris: Not ‘someone I want running my country’
Multiple voter focus groups in Arizona have weighed in on Vice President Harris ahead of the November election, and their responses reinforced the notion that she’s an unpopular candidate, according to a report in The Los Angeles Times.
Days after Harris spoke in Arizona on April 12, the political group “Republican Voters Against Trump” invited the outlet to view videos of interviews with three different voter focus groups: one of former Trump 2016 voters who voted for Biden in 2020, one of Black voters who are disappointed with Biden, and another of “California Democrats.”
The Times reported the crossover voters’ views, stating, “Their assessments were brutal. If she is helping Biden, you don’t see it. She rubs me the wrong way. She was picked because she is a demographic. The big things she had, she failed.”
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The L.A. Times recently reported on voter focus groups viewing Vice President Kamala Harris unfavorably. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Gunner Ramer, the political director of Republican Voters Against Trump, summed up the views to the Times, saying, “Swing voters don’t like her.”
The other two groups, while less antagonistic towards Harris, were not complimentary of her. “In a focus group of Black voters who were disappointed with Biden, none raised their hand in support of Harris, with one participant calling her ‘the bad news bear,’” the report noted.
It added, “A focus group of California Democrats, while they liked Harris, had to be prompted to discuss her and said she needed more influence and exposure.”
These views of Harris are not surprising considering she is even less popular than even President Biden and former President Trump, two historically unpopular presidents.
USA Today and Suffolk University polling from last month recorded that around 52% of registered voters disapprove of her performance as vice president. Additionally, only 36% of those surveyed say she is handling the job well, with 10% undecided.
Suffolk University Political Research Center Director David Paleologos claimed in USA Today’s report that Harris’ unpopularity will be a big talking point during this election.
“Usually, it’s a secondary and muted discussion about vice presidents. This time, it’s going to be almost a parallel and loud discussion in comparison,” he said.
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Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a “First In The Nation” campaign rally at South Carolina State University on February 02, 2024 in Orangeburg, South Carolina. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
The L.A. Times described how “Harris has heard the criticism since she entered the White House” and “stepped up her appearances with core Democratic groups” in response.
This campaign cycle, the vice president has leaned into championing abortion rights. Late last year, she kicked off her Fight for Our Reproductive Freedoms Tour, touring the nation to galvanize Biden voters over the issue of reproductive freedom.
The L.A. Times noted that Harris’ allies “believe her role as the administration’s leading voice on abortion rights will boost her and the Democratic ticket on an issue that helped carry the party to unexpected success in the 2022 midterm elections.”
However, the outlet noted that even though she spoke out in Tucson earlier this month in response to the state Supreme Court upholding an 1864 abortion ban, focus group voters didn’t notice.
“Several voters said in interviews in Phoenix on Monday that they were not aware Harris was in their state just a few days ago, underscoring the challenge of getting attention as a vice president in an era of information overload.”
During one of the focus group interviews, Black Democratic voter Tracey Sayles said, “If she is coming for us, she doesn’t show it.”
Other voters ripped Harris as well. Retired military member Jeff Garland, who voted Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020, declared, “But from what I have seen of her, she doesn’t look like someone I want running my country.”
President Biden and Vice President Harris. (Getty Images)
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The Biden/Harris campaign views it differently. Campaign communications director Brian Fallon told the outlet that the vice president “has proven to be a highly effective messenger on issues from reproductive freedom to gun violence prevention,” and that she is “uniquely positioned to mobilize critical groups across the Biden-Harris coalition, including both progressives and independents.”
The Biden campaign did not immediately reply to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.
A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.
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A courtroom sketch of Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, during his initial court appearance on Oct. 23, 2025. (Bill Robles) -
The U.S. Dept. of Justice booking photo of Jonathan Rinderknecht over the Palisades Fire devastation in Malibu, California in January 2025 (AP).
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”
The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
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