Presidential candidate sees huge surge in support among American voters that edges them into polling lead in shock twist

Kamala Harris' popularity made a massive jump in the week since she stepped up and became Democrat's presumed 2024 nominee.

The vice president's favorability sits at 43 percent – an eight point surge since last weekend, according to ABC News/Ipsos polling.

The poll released a week ago revealed that 35 percent view Harris favorability and 46 percent see her in a unfavorable light.

Biden announced last Sunday, July 20, that he was ending his reelection bid after weeks of pressure from within his party to step aside. He immediately endorsed his VP to take over.

Harris last week earned enough delegates to become the de facto nominee and is campaigning with much of her boss's old team and campaign infrastructure.

Kamala Harris saw an eight-point surge in favorability in the week since becoming the de facto Democratic presidential nominee

But some voters, like those who spoke with DailyMail.com in North Carolina, are worried that Harris might not be able to clinch a win in November.

'For most of the people I know, we were a little anxious when the announcement first came out,' Charlotte-area voter LaKesha Womack, 46, admitted. 'Combining black and woman into one person, it was like how is the country going to react?'

'I felt pretty confident that people would vote for President Biden, even if they didn't like it, just because I think a lot of people knew what was at stake,' the black North Carolina voter said. 'But, you know, just understanding the racial undertones in the country, I think I'm a little – and the sexism that exists in this country. I think I'm a little anxious, but I'm definitely hopeful.'

Harris hit the campaign trail hard in the week since Biden stepped down with stops in several different states and has taken over some ceremonial presidential duties while Biden recovered from his third bout of COVID-19.

'The electorate is energized. Democrats are ready to go,' Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said in an appearance on ABC This Week on Sunday.

'Our candidate is the energizer bunny,' the contender for Harris' vice presidential candidate added. 'She's been everywhere all the time over the last several days. And we're excited about that – to get to see her in the battleground states and all over the country.'

The most important jump in support comes from independent voters, who are vastly important to clinching a victory in November.

Now 44 percent of independents have a favorable view of Harris compared to just 28 percent who felt that way just a week prior. Her unfavorability dropped from 47 percent to 40 percent.

Donald Trump's favorability rating, meanwhile, dropped slightly from 40 percent to 36 percent in the week following the attempted assassination attempt against him.

Among independents, the former president also saw a drop from 35 percent to 27 percent.

The new survey suggests that there is more enthusiasm for the vice president's candidacy compared to Trump – 48 percent to 39 percent.

Harris is likely to face-off with Trump in November as no other Democrats are being floated currently to challenge the vice president for the spot with just three weeks until the Democratic National Convention.

Fifty-two percent of those surveyed think Harris should be the nominee, according to the poll. And 86 percent of Democrats want to see her leading their ticket.

A separate poll also released on Sunday from YouGov/Times of London reveals that 30 percent of voters think Biden should step down now and turn over the rest of his term to Harris.

It also found a staggering number of U.S. voters – 92 percent – think Harris was at least partially involved in covering-up the extent of President Biden 's mental decline.

The survey of 1,170 voters taken July 22 and 23 asked whether they believed there was an effort to shield Biden's mental health from the public and who was responsible for the cover-up.

Fifty-four percent of respondents said there was a cover-up and 30 percent said they don't believe there was one. Sixteen percent aren't sure.

The switch-up in the 2024 election has left many with questions over whether there was a plot to keep Biden's cognitive health under wraps and who plotted to keep secret his declining health.

More than half of U.S. voters think that Vice President Kamala Harris is at least partially to blame for covering-up President Joe Biden's declining mental and physical health