Polls Show Majority of Democrats Prefer Another Nominee for 2024, Biden’s Reelection Prospects in Doubt
As President Joe Biden prepares to make a decision about whether or not to run for re-election in 2024, polls are showing that the majority of Democrats would prefer to see someone new on the ticket. According to the Washington Post-ABC News poll, 58% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents prefer someone other than Biden as their nominee, while only 31% say the party should nominate the incumbent president. Biden has pointed to a number of legislative victories, including increases in infrastructure spending and the Inflation Reduction Act, but concerns about his age and approval rating have continued to fuel Democratic fears about his electability in the next election.[0]
The poll also showed that 62% of respondents would react negatively to a Biden win, while only 36% said they would react positively.[1] The same poll found that among Americans overall, Trump holds a narrow lead over Biden in the general election, with 48% saying they planned to vote for Trump, while 44% said they would back Biden.[0]
National polling which compares Biden to other Democratic contenders for 2024 shows him to be in a commanding lead.[2] No serious challengers to the president have come forward, which could be due to a variety of reasons.[2] However, the ABC News/Washington Post poll found that in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup, Trump would beat Biden 48% to 44%.[3]
41 percent of Americans say they are not as well off financially since Biden became president, while 16 percent say they are better off.[4] 42% of people report that their financial situation has remained unchanged since Joe Biden was sworn into office.[3]
When asked about the handling of classified documents, 45% of adults think Trump intentionally did something illegal, while 27% say the same about Biden.[5] 48% of people believe that he mishandled classified documents, however, it was not done on purpose.[5] Only 16 percent believe he committed no wrong.[5]
The poll results came amid high inflation that is eroding the purchasing power of Americans, which paints a bleak picture for Biden as he hits the mid-point of his four-year term.[6] This could also be a major obstacle in his likely campaign for a second term in 2024, which he may announce in the coming weeks.[6]
When asked by Telemundo on Thursday if he would run for a second term, Biden was noncommittal, replying that he had “just not ready to make” the decision.[7]
0. “Biden 2024 Win Would Dissatisfy More Voters Than Trump Reelection: Poll” Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2023, https://www.newsweek.com/biden-2024-win-would-dissatisfy-more-voters-trump-reelection-poll-1779045
1. “Buttigieg backs Biden 2024 run but poll says most Americans don’t” The Guardian US, 6 Feb. 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/05/biden-trump-2024-poll-buttigieg
2. “Why Biden shouldn't dismiss his negative poll numbers” CNN, 10 Feb. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/10/politics/polling-election-2024-biden-trump/index.html
3. “Few Americans are excited about a Biden-Trump rematch, Post-ABC poll finds” The Washington Post, 5 Feb. 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/02/05/poll-biden-trump-2024
4. “Biden deals with huge disconnect between Democratic voters and insiders” Axios, 12 Feb. 2023, https://www.axios.com/2023/02/12/biden-2024-presidential-democratic-voters-polls
5. “Record numbers of people are worse off, a recipe for political discontent: POLL” ABC News, 4 Feb. 2023, https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/record-numbers-worse-off-recipe-political-discontent-poll/story?id=96884607
6. “More people say they’re worse off under Joe Biden than any president in 37 years. His State of the Union speech detailed his plan to make things better” Fortune, 8 Feb. 2023, https://fortune.com/2023/02/07/biden-poll-better-off-financially-record-low-state-of-the-union-economy-inflation/
7. “Poll shows voters concerned about Republican, Democratic leadership” FISM TV, 14 Feb. 2023, https://fism.tv/poll-shows-voters-concerned-about-republican-democratic-leadership/
