President Joe Biden has arrived in India for the G-20 summit, where he will meet with world leaders, he faces a serious headwind in his bid for reelection. A CNN survey released on Thursday showed that two-thirds of Democrat-leaning voters simply don’t want Biden as the 2024 nominee.
The CNN poll, conducted by SSRS, found that there was no clear leader in a potential rematch between Biden and former President Donald Trump, who currently leads the GOP field with double-digit support. Yet, nearly half of registered voters – 46 percent – said they currently believe that any Republican presidential nominee would be a better choice than Biden next year.
Joe Biden is Too Old
Age remains the major factor, as 49 percent of respondents said Biden is too old to serve another term. Biden will be 82 by Election Day in 2024 and could be 86 at the end of his second term. He is already the oldest person to hold the office.
Other polls have painted an equally grim picture for the sitting president. A Wall Street Journal poll conducted last month found that just 42 percent of voters approve of Biden’s performance, while 73 percent said he is too old for a second term
An Associated Press/NORC poll also conducted in late August found that 77 percent of American voters, and 69 percent of Democrats, thought Biden’s age was a serious concern. That latter poll still found that 82 percent of Democrats would probably or definitely support him as the party’s nominee – but Biden likely can’t afford to lose even 18 percent of his base and win reelection.
Simply Put – It Looks Like Biden is Beatable
Though Trump is currently in a virtual tie with Biden, the CNN poll did find that other Republican hopefuls have greater support than Biden – and that is still months from the beginning of the primary season. Former U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, who is considered a long-shot candidate at this point, led Biden by six points in a theoretical general election match-up between the two.
If Trump doesn’t end up as the eventual nominee, it seems that the Republicans could still win back the White House. That fact has already rattled some Democrats, even as they argue that Biden has a strong track record to run on.
“These numbers are not good, and they’re consistent with most of the other polling that we’ve seen. The country is in a sour mood. He’s not getting credit for what I think is a fairly substantial list of achievements,” David Axelrod, a former Obama White House and campaign strategist, said on a segment on CNN this week. “And the reality is, if this were a referendum, he would be in deep, deep trouble. There’s an expression in sports that, you know, sometimes you have to win ugly. And I think that’s what lies ahead here for this president and this White House.”
CNN’s Julian Zelizer also suggested that while Biden can’t do anything about his age, the president can take a page from the playbook of Barack Obama’s reelection campaign, and effectively hone in on key issues.
Two Words That Could Get Joe Biden Reelected: Donald Trump
Beyond touting his accomplishments, Biden’s best chance for success next year could be that it is a rematch against Trump. As noted, Biden is tied with the former president and that’s a closer race than against Haley.
While there are now efforts underway to keep Trump off the ballot in some states, the fact remains that Trump could energize voters – not just the MAGA faithful but those who truly hate the man with a passion. Trump on the ticket could sway those who might take a look at Cornell West or other third-party options to stick with the devil they know now rather than the devil they knew before!
Simply put – Biden could be the lesser of two evils for voters in a rematch with Trump, but that is hardly a great platform for any candidate.
Author Experience and Expertise
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
