Nearly two-thirds of Democrats say President Joe Biden should withdraw from the presidential race and let his party nominate a different candidate, according to a new poll, sharply undercutting his post-debate claim that “average Democrats” are still with him even if some “big names” are turning on him.
The new survey by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, conducted as Biden works to salvage his candidacy two weeks after his debate flop, also found that only about 3 in 10 Democrats are extremely or very confident that he has the mental capability to serve effectively as president, down slightly from 40% in an AP-NORC poll in February.
The findings underscore the challenges the 81-year-old president faces as he tries to silence calls from within his own party to leave the race and tries to convince Democrats that he’s the best candidate to defeat Donald Trump. The poll was conducted mostly before Saturday’s assassination attempt on Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. It’s unclear whether the shooting influenced people’s views of Biden, but the small number of poll interviews completed after the shooting provided no early indication that his prospects improved.
She’ll retain control of financial assets of the Biden campaign.
She has widespread name recognition.
Nominating her would avoid a lengthy fight over the nomination that could stoke further divisions in the party this late in the election cycle.
The other alternative is Biden, and Biden has lost too much of his party to stay in. If Biden stays in, what do you think the GOP drum will be beating every day from now til election day? “Even his own party don’t believe in him!” And that will sway swing voters.
We have two bad choices, but Harris is the less bad of the two.
I just don’t see it. Harris doesn’t even seem to be popular within the party, or by progressives.
It’s very possible that she has been playing dead fish on purpose to let Biden have the spotlight, as is the role of VP. Maybe she can take the gloves off and rise to the challenge. Maybe.
But I think it’s far more likely she serves as a bland, dry candidate that gets completely steamrolled by theatric behemoth that is the Right’s propaganda entertainment machine. Who, by the way, will have ample ammo on her for being a last second replacement, AND easily reclaim the misogynistic and racist votes that they may have lost who weren’t MAGA zealots.
She’s not, but she’s still polling at +2 over Biden and Democrats need every point they can get.