Staff Reports
ABC News aired a segment on Sunday that could spell trouble for Biden’s election campaign. The report featured Martha Raddatz talking to Pennsylvania Democrat voters and gauging their enthusiasm for Biden’s performance over the past two and a half years, as well as his just-announced re-election campaign. Age was a common issue raised by interviewees as they expressed their lack of enthusiasm for Biden. The only positive thing most of them could say was that he is not Donald Trump. Even young progressives and swing voters in a bellwether county could hardly muster any genuine excitement for Biden. The only fervent pro-Biden voices were from an elected Democratic official and a Biden campaign surrogate, reinforcing the sense that supporting Biden seems to be a forced choice for Democrats.
WATCH: Pennsylvania Democrats' Savage Responses to Joe Biden's 2024 Announcement https://t.co/ReQeBL49EY
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 1, 2023
Moreover, the public does not buy the Biden campaign’s talking points about his achievements. Hence, Biden’s approval rating is strikingly poor, especially in individual issues such as the economy. Aside from the fact that Biden is already the oldest serving US President in history, his performance is also raising questions about his age an entirely valid consideration for a full-time job as the President of the United States. It does not help that his team gives him cheat sheets for basic functions, and severely limits his press interaction, which has become a source of ridicule. Watching him does not inspire confidence, and the question of his performance will remain an ongoing topic of discussion.
“Democrats are divided on whether or not Pres. Biden should be running again.”@MarthaRaddatz travels to the battleground state of Pennsylvania to speak with voters about Biden’s reelection announcement and the lack of enthusiasm for his job performance. https://t.co/KInxWHwCkT pic.twitter.com/V678UthwjT
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) April 30, 2023
“Some White House officials say it's difficult to schedule public or private events with the president in the morning, in the evening, or on weekends: The vast majority of Biden’s public events happen on weekdays, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.” https://t.co/8u0ob7NDNK
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) April 28, 2023
Republicans have moved up to R+2 on the generic ballot according to our @cygnal national poll just released today. Dig in on this and some other great questions https://t.co/1IIGvzt4Dh https://t.co/q5R5gyBAcH
— Brent Buchanan, Pollster (@brentbuc) April 28, 2023
The acceptability of his running mate, Kamala Harris, as a plausible President, is also a matter of significant importance. However, Harris’s approval ratings are worse than Biden’s, hovering around the high thirties. Officials believe that this could present as a drag on the ticket as Biden begins his re-election campaign that will likely boil down to a few tight states. However, the fact remains that, if elected for a second term, Biden would be 86 by the time he leaves office. It is essential to consider what his performance could be like half a decade from now, given his current state.
Republicans plan to argue that re-electing Biden could mean a Harris presidency, which could only serve to weaken the Democratic ticket. If this continues, we could see an election in which Republican voters offer the opposition their desired matchup. It will be interesting to see if Democrats’ strategy of helping to select their preferred opponent works in their favor again. In any case, House GOP candidates already won the national ‘popular’ vote by nearly three points last year, confirming what the polling average predicted. Nonetheless, the distribution of the votes across the country translated into a thin Republican majority.
