Poll: Biden Could Lose 25% of Voters
Many Americans Doubt Biden’s Economic Performance, May Not Vote for Him in 2024
According to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, many Americans who voted for U.S. president Joe Biden in 2020 believe that the economy has faired poorly under his stewardship and are unsure if they would vote for him in the 2024 election.
Biden, a Democrat who defeated former Republican president Donald Trump in 2020, could potentially face a rematch next year against his old foe. Trump currently leads the Republican nomination contest and is facing a third criminal indictment in court on Thursday.
When asked who they would vote for “if the election for president were held today,” 19 percent of Biden’s 2020 voters participating in the poll said they either weren’t sure or would pick someone other than Biden or Trump. Six percent of Biden’s 2020 voters chose Trump.
In the poll, 42 percent of Biden’s 2020 voters said the economy was “worse” than it was in 2020, compared to 33 percent who said it was ”better” and 24 percent who said it was “about the same.”
The poll results highlight a challenge for the White House, as officials are working to reverse the negative perception of Biden’s economic performance. To raise awareness of Biden’s efforts to help the economy, he will personally visit Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah from Aug. 7-10 to promote his Inflation Reduction Act law, which aims to boost manufacturing and fight climate change.
Surprisingly, about half of the respondents who voted for Biden in 2020 said they have heard little or nothing about his major policy initiatives to reduce inflation or increase spending on infrastructure.
While the majority of Biden’s 2020 voters in the poll (78 percent) approved of his performance as president, his overall approval rating among all respondents was only 40 percent.
However, there is a critical division among Biden’s 2020 voters. Those who don’t approve of his performance are twice as likely to consider inflation as America’s biggest problem, compared to those who believe the president is doing a good job. Those who approve of Biden are more concerned about the dangers of political extremism.
“The difference is the focus on inflation and the cost of living,” said Chris Jackson, a public opinion researcher at polling firm Ipsos. He added that there is still time for Biden to win back his wavering supporters.
“They are not off the board. They materially need to be feeling better and they have to think Biden is doing something,” Jackson said.
The poll results indicate a lack of enthusiasm for Biden and highlight the risks that Democrats may not have strong turnout at the polls next year. Additionally, independents who voted Democratic in 2020 could potentially switch to voting Republican in 2024.
Under Biden, U.S. households have faced the most severe inflation in decades, although the rate of price increases has recently fallen significantly. Economic growth has been modest, but the unemployment rate has reached its lowest levels in decades.
Biden’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
One administration official mentioned that measures of consumer sentiment show increased optimism, as previous Reuters/Ipsos polling has indicated that more people expect their own finances to improve rather than deteriorate.
However, another administration official acknowledged last week that the White House needs to do a better job of promoting Biden’s policy successes.
When asked to describe how much Biden and his administration have invested in the U.S. economy, 35 percent of Biden’s 2020 voters selected the option “not enough.” Meanwhile, 53 percent believed it was “about the right amount,” 3 percent said “too much,” and the rest were unsure.
The poll, conducted online nationwide, gathered responses from 2,009 U.S. adults with a credibility interval of about 3 percentage points.
(Reporting by Jason Lange and Andrea Shalal. Editing by Scott Malone and Conor Humphries.)
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