OPINION | This article contains the author's opinion.
Recent polls show growing concerns for Democrats as Joe Biden trails Donald Trump in prospective 2024 matchups.
A New York Times/Siena College poll found Biden underperforming with his own 2020 voters and losing key demographics like Latinos to Trump.
“Not sure this latest poll changed that too much,” Rep. Adam Smith said. “Dems are worried about Biden’s strength as a candidate for a variety of reasons — age, weakness of him and the overall campaign when it comes to delivering a message, the left attacks over Gaza. I am personally less freaked out than most… But I too wish Biden and his team were stronger campaigners.”
NEW: A national NYT poll on eve of Super Tuesday and the State of the Union:
Trump: 48 percent
Biden: 43 percentBiden is leading among nonwhite voters who didn’t attend college by only a 47-41 margin, a sign of weakness inside usual Dem coalition.
https://t.co/0cM8oUw72i— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) March 2, 2024
Democrats expressed worries about Biden’s campaign strength and messaging to Politico, with one describing it as a “slow-motion car crash.”
Further polls in battleground states showed Trump widening his lead over Biden.
“This has the feel of a slow-motion car crash,” an anonymous Democrat said. “Trump is deeply, epically flawed. I don’t believe women are tied. Perhaps Biden yet can rally the base. But it’s getting late. If you’re not a bedwetter now, you’re not paying attention.”
“Voter sentiment on the economy is stubbornly low,” another anonymous Democrat said. “There’s major slippage among voters of color. This should be a wake-up call that things have to improve and change. The reaction can’t be to go all cross-tabs truther on [NYT Chief Political Analyst] Nate Cohn or tell people to calm down.”
While Biden’s team said they will ignore polls and focus on strong campaigning, the results alarmed Democrats and suggested voter sentiment on the economy favors Republicans less than ten months before the election.
The surveys mark mounting challenges for Biden as he aims to maintain his position against Trump.
“Whether it’s in special elections or in the presidential primaries, actual voter behavior tells us a lot more than any poll does and it tells a very clear story: Joe Biden and Democrats continue to outperform while Donald Trump and the party he leads are weak, cash-strapped, and deeply divided,” Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler said. “Our campaign is ignoring the noise and running a strong campaign to win — just like we did in 2020.”
Most Popular:
FBI Informant Who Criticized Biden Gets Bad News
Drag Queen Principal Learns His Fate Amid Controversy