Almost 2 in 3 Democrats want Biden to drop out: AP poll

Nearly 2 in 3 Democrats say President Biden should step aside from the 2024 race, a poll released Wednesday found.

The survey, carried out by The Associated Press/NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, was largely conducted prior to the assassination attempt against former President Trump over the weekend. It found that 70 percent of voters surveyed said Biden should withdraw from the race and allow someone else to take on Trump this November.

Sixty-five percent of Democratic respondents said they believe Biden should step aside after his poor debate performance sparked worries about his ability to beat Trump and lead for another four years if reelected. Only 35 percent of Democrats said Biden should continue running for president.

Similarly, 77 percent of independents and 73 percent of Republicans said they believe Biden should step aside.

The survey found that Black Democrats were among Biden’s strongest supporters; 50 percent said Biden should stay in the race, compared to just 32 percent of white voters and 33 percent of Hispanic voters.

Older Democrats were also more supportive of Biden staying in the race. Among Democrats aged 45 or older, 42 percent said he should not step aside. Meanwhile, 3 in 4 Democrats aged 18 to 44 said Biden should step aside so someone new can run.

In a predebate survey, 38 percent of Democrats said they were dissatisfied with Biden as their nominee for the election. That number grew to 48 percent in the recent survey.

Concern has also jumped about Biden’s ability to serve as commander in chief. In a February survey, 32 percent of Democrats said they were not confident in his mental capacity to be an effective president. That number also jumped after the debate to 48 percent.

The survey was conducted July 11-15 among 1,253 adults. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

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