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Harris Calls Herself a 'Top-Tier' Candidate Despite Polling at 4 Percent

October 1, 2019

Senator Kamala Harris (D., Calif.) called herself a "top-tier" presidential candidate despite dropping to 4 percent in recent polls.

The freshman senator surged following her confrontation with frontrunner Joe Biden in the June debate, but her support plummeted throughout the summer. On Monday, CNN host Anderson Cooper asked Harris about whether Politico's report of a looming campaign "shake up" was tied to her drop in the polls.

"I haven't read the article, Anderson. I can't tell you what the article says," Harris said. "We accomplished a great amount of work thus far which makes me a top-tier candidate and by many accounts within the top four, maybe five, but top four in a field of over 20 people."

The Harris campaign is in turmoil due to the "lack of clarity" on the direction of the campaign, according to Politico. Campaign manager Juan Rodriguez and campaign chair Maya Harris, who is the California senator's sister, have reportedly been plagued by indecision and have "choked" the decision-making process. Harris turned to her Senate aides, including chief of staff Rohini Kosoglu and senior adviser Laphonza Butler, to help right the ship.

Harris dodged several times during the interview about her campaign shakeup. She responded by saying she has "the most talented people in the business."

Harris sits at fifth place in a RealClearPolitics polling average, trailing South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg, as well as former vice president Joe Biden, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.), and Senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.). State polls have painted an even more grim picture of Harris's prospects. One poll showed Harris falling to sixth place in Iowa, while another found Harris trailing entrepreneur Andrew Yang in her home state of California.