(Brett Rowland, The Center Square) – A new poll shows 30% of Democrats would pick someone other than Joe Biden as their nominee in the 2024 election if other generic options existed. That climbs to 66% if voters were given specific alternatives.
The polling underscores recent concerns about Biden’s leadership and ability to govern. The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll, conducted in conjunction with Noble Predictive Insights, found 30% of Democrats would pick an unnamed someone else, but more (58%) would stick with Biden even after the disastrous first debate with former President Donald Trump. Another 12% of likely Democratic voters were unsure.
Given specific alternative choices, likely Democrat voters split among several high-profile Democrats. Asked if they could wave a magic wand and pick the Democratic presidential candidate for the November election, likely Democrat voters would pick Biden (34%), Vice President Kamala Harris (15%), former First Lady Michelle Obama (15%), California Gov. Gavin Newsom (7%), U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (7%), former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (5%), Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg (5%), Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (3%), U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (2%) or Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (1%). Another 6% would chose someone else. That’s two-thirds of Democratic voters who would select someone other than Biden.
“It’s a pretty bad number for someone who’s already won a primary,” David Byler of Noble Predictive Insights told The Center Square. “When people are given other named options, two thirds of the Democrats pick somebody else.”
Biden’s poor debate showing against former President Donald Trump renewed concerns about his cognitive abilities and his ability to remain in office for another four-year term.
Biden, 81, has shown visible signs of aging throughout his presidency, which were punctuated by Special Counsel Robert Hur’s final report on his investigation into Biden’s mishandling of classified documents after he left the White House following his term as vice president under Barack Obama.
Hur declined to charge Biden, but his report highlighted Biden’s trouble remembering things, including the year his son died.
“In his interview with our office, Mr. Biden’s memory was worse,” according to the report, as The Center Square previously reported. “He did not remember when he was vice president, forgetting on the first day of the interview when his term ended (‘if it was 2013 – when did I stop being Vice President?’), and forgetting on the second day of the interview when his term began (‘in 2009, am I still Vice President?’)”
The report continued:
“He did not remember, even within several years, when his son Beau died. And his memory appeared hazy when describing the Afghanistan debate that was once so important to him.”
Since the debate, when Biden repeatedly stuttered and faltered, and at times became incoherent and trailed off, some Democrats have called for him to step aside from seeking reelection. Biden has said he plans to continue on as his party’s nominee despite those concerns.
The poll was conducted in conjunction with Noble Predictive Insights from July 8-11 and surveyed nearly 2,300 likely voters with a margin of error of 2.1%.
