Biden’s support among Democrats erodes on handling of Israel-Hamas war

President Biden’s support among Democrats is dwindling over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war, according to a new poll.

A new poll by NBC News found that just 34 percent of all voters approved of how Biden is handling the Israel-Hamas war, which has been ongoing since militant group Hamas launched its deadly incursion into southern Israel on Oct. 7. Since the onset of the fighting, Biden has remained adamant over the U.S.’s continued support to Israel.

NBC News noted that only half of Democratic voters, 51 percent, approved of Biden’s handling of the conflict. Nearly 60 percent of independent voters said they disapproved while nearly 70 percent of Republicans said the same thing, the outlet noted.

Some Democrats have been outspoken against the U.S.’s support of Israel, arguing that the U.S. should cease funding the country and also calling for a cease-fire in the war. Progressive members of Congress, including Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Cori Bush (D-Mo.) have spearheaded these calls.

This also comes after a protest broke out in front of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters in Washington, D.C. last week. Organizers said attendees of the demonstration wanted to engage with Democratic lawmakers to discuss a cease-fire in Gaza, but that they weren’t able to due to a clash with Capitol Police.

The poll also found that Biden’s approval rating dropped to 40 percent, which it said is his lowest level of his presidency. NBC News noted that the poll found that his support largely eroded among Democrats who believe that Israel has gone past the line of its military action in Gaza as well as among voters 18 to 34. Among this age group, 70 percent disapprove of Biden’s handling of the war.

“Joe Biden is at a uniquely low point in his presidency, and a significant part of this, especially within the Biden coalition, is due to how Americans are viewing his foreign policy actions,” Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates, who helped conduct this survey, told NBC.

He said that “it’s stunning because of the impact the Israel-Hamas war is having on Biden.” However, he also cautioned that Biden can likely win these voters back, pointing to former President Trump’s looming legal battles as an obstacle for the president’s opponent.

The poll was conducted among 1,000 registered voters between Nov. 10 and 14, with a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.