Friday, March 29, 2024

Democrats Ambivalent About Biden But Lack Obvious Successor

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President has yet to make an official announcement about his reelection plans. While the conventional wisdom is Biden will run again (for reference, Barack Obama declared his quest for a second term on April 4, 2011), there's still the question of how excited the Democratic base is about that possibility.

Just how indifferent Democrats are right now comes from polling data out of Monmouth University. While the usual caveats about accuracy apply to any poll on a national election this far removed from Election Day, the data in this poll mirrors that of other, older polls.

The bottom line: Democrats would really prefer Mr. Biden call it a career, and let someone else run in 2024:

Three in four Democrats (74%) have a favorable opinion of Joe Biden and just 14% hold an unfavorable view. However, when asked what they want to see happen in 2024 if the choice was up to them, nearly half (44%) would like Biden to step aside so someone else can run as the Democrat for president. Just 25% say their preference is for Biden to pursue a second term, while 30% say they have no preference either way. Among voters who identify as strong Democrats – representing just over half of the party's electorate – 36% want Biden to run again and 36% would prefer him to step aside. Among voters with very liberal political views – representing just over one-quarter of Democrats nationwide – more than half (52%) want Biden to turn the reins over to someone else and just 22% say they prefer to see the incumbent seek another term. A majority of Democratic voters under 50 years old (54%) would also like to see Biden defer to another candidate in 2024.

Fair enough. But who would Democratic voters like to see as the nominee?

Half (51%) of the Democratic electorate cannot offer a name when asked who they would like to see as the party's nominee if Biden does not run. Among those who do have a preferred alternative, Vice President (13%) is the only potential contender who registers above single digits. These results are basically the same among party voters who specifically say they want Biden to step aside for another candidate.

And that's the problem Democrats face heading into 2024. They have an incumbent they just aren't that thrilled about. But when asked who might replace him? Who knows?

What is clear is Biden's lack of a reelection decision has frozen the rest of the Democratic field in place. And yes, Marianne Williamson has declared her candidacy. Williamson was a non-factor when she ran in 2020 and will be even less of one in 2024, thanks to the stories of her very bad behavior toward staff.

If the conventional wisdom holds and Biden does run again, the party faithful will fall in line. But there's a big difference between falling in line and genuine enthusiasm. The eventual Republican nominee may play an outsized role in determining just how motivated Democrats are in 2024 – Joe Biden or no Joe Biden at the top of the ticket.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.

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Norman Leahy
Norman Leahy
Norman Leahy has written about national and Virginia politics for more than 30 years with outlets ranging from The Washington Post to BearingDrift.com. A consulting writer, editor, recovering think tank executive and campaign operative, Norman lives in Virginia.

4 COMMENTS

  1. With the economy in ruins, our petroleum independence sunk and their Antifa and BLM goons reined in (for now), is there any democrat honest enough to tell China Pedo Joe that for the country’s sake, he has to step aside? I suspect not.

    • In 2011 an aging aunt asked my thoughts on the coming Presidential election. I told her and she replied: whatever, the current generation will be too hypnotized by their little electronic boxes to CARE.

  2. 74% of democraps have a favorable opinion of Joe biden. That 74% is made up of communists,fellow travelers, useful idiots and ignoramuses (nevertheless de facto communists).

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