Poll: Almost 50% of Voters Favor Republicans over Biden
Nearly half of registered voters say they would prefer any Republican presidential nominee to President Joe Biden, according to a new poll.
The CNN poll (pdf), conducted Aug. 25-31, found that 46 percent of respondents felt that any Republican nominee would be a better choice in the 2024 election than the sitting president. Conversely, 32 percent said President Biden would be a better choice than any Republican nominee.
Voters had a slightly more favorable view of the Republican frontrunner, President Donald Trump, with 38 percent saying he would be a better choice than any Democratic nominee and 44 percent saying the opposite.
President Trump also held a slight edge in a hypothetical one-on-one matchup with President Biden, besting him 47-46 percent. Matchups with most of the other GOP candidates yielded similar results within a 2-point margin, with the only disadvantaged Republican being entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy by 1 point.
The only combination that produced a decisive winner was the race between President Biden and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, with Ms. Haley besting the president 49-43 percent.
The survey also found that 67 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents would like to see the party nominate someone other than President Biden. But when those voters were presented with potential alternatives, no clear frontrunner emerged, with 82 percent responding “just someone besides Joe Biden.”
Health Concerns
President Biden’s age and overall health were a point of concern for voters even before the 2020 election. But according to the poll, those worries have only increased during his term in office.
In November 2019, 51 percent of voters said they did not believe the former vice president had the stamina and sharpness to be president. Now, that number has spiked to 74 percent.
Similarly, 73 percent of voters—including 56 percent of Democrats—now say they are “seriously concerned” that the 80-year-old president’s age might affect his level of physical and mental competence, and 76 percent are worried it could affect his ability to serve another full term in office.
Earlier this week, President Biden raised eyebrows when he abruptly left a Medal of Honor ceremony for a Vietnam War veteran before it was over. The White House later claimed that his early exit was pre-planned.
The president’s term has also been marked by repeated falls, with the most recent incident occurring on June 1 at the Air Force Academy’s commencement ceremony. That tumble was chalked up to an unseen sandbag.
Popularity Problem
Health concerns aside, President Biden faces another challenge to his reelection bid—his unpopularity.
Only 39 percent of all respondents said they approved of his job performance so far, while 61 percent said they disapproved.
The latter number nearly matches the highest disapproval rating of his presidency in July 2022 at 62 percent.
Further, only 28 percent of respondents said President Biden inspired confidence, and just 33 percent said they were proud to have him as president.
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