Poll: Most Democrats say Biden shouldn't run in 2024
LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) — A new poll was released on Tuesday by the New York Times in partnership with Siena College, and the results are largely negative for President Joe Biden's job approval. Beyond that, the same poll found nearly two-thirds of Democrats prefer someone else to run in 2024, mentioning issues like "age" and "job performance" as the most important factors that should disqualify Biden from running for re-election.
Overall, Biden's 33% approval number is a new low in the poll, compared to 60% who disapprove, although Democrats still stand by the President 70-25%. In a potential 2024 presidential rematch, Biden currently has a narrow three-point lead, 44-41%, over Trump.
But Democrats don't want to see Biden as their party's nominee after the 2024 primary. "Only among Black voters and voters 65 and older does Biden even have 40% saying they hope he is the ’24 candidate. Among voters under 30, 94% say they want a different nominee,” said Dr. Don Levy, Director, Siena College Research Institute.
More than three-quarters of Americans, according to the study, think the country is headed in the wrong direction. Nearly nine in ten Republicans think that way, as do eight in ten Independents and even 63% of Democrats- a rare point of agreement between all parties. “At least 70% of every demographic group – by region, gender, age, party, race, or education – say the country is headed in the wrong direction, except for Democrats, and Black voters – ‘only’ 54% of whom say the country is headed in the wrong direction,” said Levy.
Asked to name the most important problem facing the country today, 20% of voters said the economy, and 15% said inflation and the cost of living. These were followed by the state of democracy, gun policies, abortion and women's rights, and the President. No other issue topped 2%.
“While pocketbook issues rise to the top for most voters, gun policies are the most important issue for Democrats, tied with inflation as the top concern among Black voters, and is the second most important issue for Latinos,” Levy said. “Abortion is only identified as the most important issue for 1% of men but 9% of women, and 13% of voters under 30.”
When asked how those issues will impact their vote in this November's elections, 96% said inflation and the cost of living were important (78% extremely important), 96% said the economy was important (76% extremely important), 93% said protecting democracy was important (79% extremely important), and 82% said immigration was important (45% extremely important).
“When it comes to economic issues – inflation and the economy – and protecting democracy, there is little difference among voters regardless of party or demographics. At least 61% of every demographic group says inflation is an extremely important issue in deciding their vote in November, at least 64% of all demographic groups say that the economy is extremely important, and at least 68% of each says protecting democracy is extremely important in casting their vote,” Levy said.