The calls for President Joe Biden to quit the race are growing louder not only among his party members but also among the American public, new poll results published on Thursday showed.
Pressure Mounts: Two-thirds of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, said Biden should step aside as the presumptive Democratic candidate, with the disenchantment stemming primarily from his debate performance, the results of a new ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll showed.
Overall 67% said Biden should withdraw from the race and more than 85% said the president is too old for a second term, with the percentage now representing a new high compared to 81% in April and 68% a year ago. The percentage of respondents who said the same about Trump (60%) also rose to a record but was far lower than what Biden scored.
Even among people who said they would vote for Biden in November, 81% said he is too old for another term and just 44% said he should continue in the race and 54% said he should step aside. Among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, 62% said he should quit.
The disgruntlement spreads to the other side of the aisle too. 50% said Trump should step aside in favor of another nominee following his debate performance. But in contrast to Biden, very few Republicans felt so about Trump.
In terms of mental sharpness to serve as president, Trump led Biden by a 44%-14% margin, a clear 30-point differential. The former president’s advantages over his successor in both mental and physical health widened since April.
Job Approval Rating Stable: Biden’s job approval rating (36%) remained steady at depressed levels. Both Biden and Trump weren’t broadly popular, but the incumbent continued to have a better favorability rating than the ex-president, the poll found. Biden’s favorability rating was 39% compared to Trump’s 22%, with the former viewed as more honest and trustworthy.
These data points went on to suggest that the debate performance, though damaging to the president, may not be determinative, the pollster said.
Alt Candidate: If Biden were to step down, just 44% said they would be satisfied with Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. Among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, satisfaction with Harris was 70%, and among current Biden supporters, the support was a steeper 76%. Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci said in his podcast that Biden may not complete his term and Harris could run for office as an incumbent.
When Democrats and Democratic leaners were asked whom they would like to see take Biden's place if he withdrew, 29% mentioned Harris, the easily leading choice in the group. All other candidates received only single-digit support, highlighting the fragmented field with over 30 potential contenders mentioned. California Governor Gavin Newsom was named by 7% as a preferred alternative, followed by Michelle Obama with 4%, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer each with 5%, and independent candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. with 2%.
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