CNN host Jake Tapper grilled Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy on Sunday for President Joe Biden’s weak approval ratings in key battleground states despite strong performances for other Democratic candidates.
Murphy appeared on “State of the Union” to discuss the rivalry between Biden and former President Donald Trump as the 2024 election approaches. After covering Biden’s latest fundraiser among Hollywood’s elite this weekend, Tapper asked Murphy about recent polls that show Biden “lagging” behind Trump in key battleground states. (Related: Biden’s approval rating hits lowest point ever: poll)
“Let’s talk about the race. Trump was in the battleground state of Michigan last night, appealing to African-American voters. Polls are showing Biden lagging Trump in key battleground states and well behind his Senate colleagues who are up for re-election,” Tapper began.
“Look at a New York Times poll from last month. Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin is leading by nine points in Wisconsin, with Biden trailing by just two points. Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania is leading by five points in Pennsylvania, with Biden down by three points. Representative Ruben Gallego of Arizona, who is running for Senate in Arizona, is leading by four points, with Biden down by seven points. Senator Jacky Rosen of Nevada is leading by two points in Nevada, with Biden down by 12 points. How can you look at these statistics, these numbers, and not conclude that Joe Biden is a drag on the race?”
“Oh no, that’s not possible,” Murphy replied.
Tapper pointed out to Murphy what the “numbers” show, highlighting how Biden is lagging behind in key Democratic states.
“But look! Look at the numbers. I’m sure I’m happy with the approval ratings of my colleagues, but Biden is below the approval rating of all of them,” Tapper interjected.
“This is one poll. There are 60 other polls that show Joe Biden has a lead. There are plenty of polls that show Joe Biden has a slight lead in battleground states. This is going to be a close race. There’s no doubt about that,” Murphy said.
“But what we’ve seen consistently is Democrats are outperforming the polls because turnout is soaring, especially among young people who fear that the Republican Party, led by Donald Trump, will take away reproductive health rights and destroy our democracy. I think it will be a close race, but I have no doubt that Joe Biden will win and lead the Senate Democrats to maintain their majority.”
questionnaire carried out A New York Times/Siena College poll released in May found Trump leading Biden in five of the six key battleground states for the 2024 election – Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, Georgia and Pennsylvania. Biden leads the former president only in the battleground state of Wisconsin, but more than 70% of voters surveyed said “big changes” are needed in both the country’s economic and political systems, and only 13% thought Biden could make adjustments in a second term.
