President Joe Biden’s debate performance has sparked concerns about his fitness for office, with declining approval ratings and age-related worries impacting voter perceptions.
The lack of a popular alternative within the Democratic Party complicates the situation, as potential successors like Kamala Harris lack overwhelming support.
“Back in the 2020 campaign, from our NBC poll, we asked folks, ‘Who is better when it comes to having the necessary mental and physical health to be president?’ And there’s basically a wash. 41 said Biden, 40 said Trump,” MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki said.
“Now, over several years of being president, those perceptions changed when it came to Biden, but not so much with Trump. We asked the question again at the start of this year, and that Biden number came all the way down to 23%. The Trump number went up to 46%, a two to one margin there.”
Suggestions for alternative candidates such as Pete Buttigieg and Gavin Newsom lack national stature.
“The logical place you would look if the president steps aside is the vice president, Kamala Harris. And hey, she ran for president once, you assume she has presidential ambitions,” Kornacki said. “She’s very well known, and this is her favorable-unfavorable score in two recent polls, and frankly, compare it to Biden. She’s 41% favorable in the Fox News poll, in that same poll, Joe Biden was 44%.”
“Who of any stature could you put in who Democrats would agree on to be consensus immediately and maybe who the country knows. And there’s not much polling on some of the names that you hear.”
“There is absolutely no indication she has any interest, but just to give you a sense, Michelle Obama, the last time we polled her on this question of favorable, unfavorable, now it’s been a few years, but it was 57 percent favorable and just 25 percent unfavorable,” Kornacki added.
The Democrats face a critical decision regarding Biden’s candidacy, with the party’s future hinging on their ability to address these challenges before the election.
