A new poll finds that nearly a third of Democrats think President Biden should stop seeking reelection after his poor performance in last week’s debate with former President Trump.
According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll: Released on TuesdayJust days after Biden faced off against Trump in the first debate of the 2024 general election season last week, the poll found that 32 percent of Democrats believe Biden should not seek reelection.
Throughout the 90-minute debate, Biden appeared to stumble over words and lose his train of thought, pausing frequently as he spoke.
The performance immediately sparked panic among some in the Democratic Party, who expressed concern about whether Biden could defeat Trump in November and serve another four-year term.
Reuters/Ipsos PollHowever, Reuters reported that both Biden and Trump maintain the support of 40% of registered voters, suggesting Biden may not have lost any support since the debate.
According to Reuters, as pollsters ratcheted up the names of leading Democrats as possible candidates to replace Biden if he were to leave office, only former first lady Michelle Obama, who led Trump 50 percent to 39 percent in hypothetical matchups, outranked Biden. Obama has repeatedly said she is not considering a presidential run.
Meanwhile, Vice President Harris’ approval rating was 42% to 43%, one point behind Trump but within the poll’s margin of error of 3.5%. Reuters noted that Harris’ approval rating was statistically on par with Biden’s.
Another potential replacement, California Governor Gavin Newsom, trailed Trump by three points, 39 percent to 42 percent, while Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer trailed Trump, 36 percent to 41 percent.
Biden has already won the primary and secured a majority of delegates, so he cannot be easily ousted at the Democratic National Convention in August. The final decision is up to Biden, and his campaign said last week that he’s not going anywhere.
Under Democratic National Committee (DNC) rules, delegates won by Biden must pledge their support for the nomination unless Biden resigns himself. The DNC could change its rules to block Biden before the convention begins on August 19, but that seems highly unlikely given the party’s current dynamics.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online July 1-2 among 1,070 adults across the U.S. It has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points, according to Reuters.
