Most Americans have never heard of Tim Walz, Harris' VP pick

Governor who? Senator what's-his-name?

The leading candidates to be Vice President Harris' running mate on the Democratic presidential ticket are Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. If those names are unfamiliar to you, count yourself among the majority of Americans who don't know or have never heard of the Democrats who could be the next vice president, according to an NPR/PBS News Marist poll.

The survey found Kelly has the highest favorability of the three candidates for the No. 2 job in the White House, 31% favorable to 18% unfavorable, but 52% of respondents still said they were unsure or have never heard of him.

Shapiro, who is speculated to be the front-runner in the veepstakes since Harris will make her first appearance with her running mate in Philadelphia, has a 25%-23% favorable to unfavorable rating. Still, 53% of Americans are unsure.

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As for Walz, the progressive favorite is by far the most unknown of the three, with 71% of survey respondents saying they were unsure or had never heard of him.

Meanwhile, Harris has improved her favorability numbers, which are now 46-48% favorable-unfavorable compared to 40-44% in the previous Marist survey.

The Republican nominee, former President Trump, is viewed mostly unfavorable, 53%, in contrast to 44% of respondents who have a positive view of the GOP candidate. Trump's unfavorable score increased four points since the last Marist poll, which was taken right after the Republican National Convention and the assassination attempt on his life in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The survey of 1,613 adults was conducted between Thursday and Sunday and has a +/- 3.3