A recent poll of battleground states in 2024 produced by The New York Times revealed that Americans are desperate for an election that does not involve Trump or Biden. Neither of the last two presidents are held in high esteem by the voting public, and like many polls done before, the battleground poll reveals a discontent within the American population.
Enter Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Dreading a Trump-Biden rematch, the political scion’s numbers has raised some eyebrows.
The New York Times writes that both Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump are viewed unfavorably by a majority of voters in these states, one-fifth of voters don’t like either of them, and enthusiasm about the coming election is down sharply compared with a poll conducted before the 2020 contest.
That frustration and malaise have prompted voters to entertain the idea of other options. When asked about the likeliest 2024 matchup, Mr. Biden versus Mr. Trump, only 2 percent of those polled said they would support another candidate. But when Mr. Kennedy’s name was included as an option, nearly a quarter said they would choose him.
That number almost surely inflates the support of Mr. Kennedy, the political scion and vaccine skeptic, because two-thirds of those who said they would back him had said earlier that they would definitely or probably vote for one of the two front-runners.
Voters who dislike both major-party candidates — a group known to pollsters and political campaigns as “double haters” — have been instrumental in the outcomes of the last two presidential elections, and there are now more than twice as many of them as there were four years ago. Mr. Trump carried them when he defeated Hillary Clinton in 2016, and Mr. Biden won them when he ousted Mr. Trump four years later.
The poll has also put Democrats in a panic. Over the weekend, Barack Obama’s chief adviser, David Axelrod, renewed his call for Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential election.
On Sunday, noted The Hill, “Axelrod, in the wake of a new poll showing Biden trailing former President Trump in key swing states, said Biden needs to decide if it’s wise to continue his run. The poll found Biden trailing Trump in five out of six battleground states, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania.
When questioned about his comments Monday, Axelrod told CNN that its a good time for Biden to check if he should keep up his campaign. Sunday marked one year before the election.
‘As I’ve said for like a couple years now, the issue’s not — for him is not political, its actuarial. You can see that in this poll and there’s just a lot of concern about the age issue, and that is something I think he needs to ponder. Just do a check and say, Is this the right thing to do?’ Axelrod said.
“Is this the best path? I suspect that he will say yes, but time is fleeting here, and this is probably the last moment for him to do that check, and it’s probably good if he does,” the Obama alum added.”
Although it shows that both Biden and Trump are strongly disliked, what frightened Democrats was the poll showing that both Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis would mop the floor with Biden if they were the GOP nominee, as well.
One ray of sunshine did peak through the gathering storms clouds for the incumbents, however, and it may reveal what Biden’s next move will be. The poll revealed that if Trump is convicted on any of his 94 criminal counts he’s currently facing, the public will swing heavily toward Biden.
(NY Times/ Siena Poll)
A conviction turns Trump from the favorite in 2024 to having very little chance.
NV: Trump +11 -> Biden +12
AZ: Trump +5 -> Biden +5
GA: Trump +6 -> Biden +12
MI: Trump +5 -> Biden +12
PA: Trump +4 -> Biden +4
WI: Biden +2 -> Biden +14— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) November 6, 2023
This would all be moot if Republicans nominate someone besides the former president, which will no doubt become a leading message against Trump over the next few months.
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