Biden only Democrat with strong positive favorability numbers: poll

Former Vice President Joe Biden is the only Democratic presidential candidate with a clear positive favorability rating, while President Trump’s approval flounders despite strong marks on the economy, according to a new poll.

A Quinnipiac University national poll released Tuesday found that 49 percent of all voters surveyed have a favorable view of Biden, compared to 39 percent who have an unfavorable opinion of him.

{mosads}He is also the top pick for his party’s nomination among Democrats surveyed, with 35 percent saying they would choose Biden. The next closest candidate is Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), at 16 percent.

South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg is the only other Democrat to post a positive favorability rating — 23 percent favorable versus 19 percent unfavorable. The 4-point net positive is just outside the poll’s margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.

Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) all had negative favorability ratings of at least 7 points. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) had the worst favorability; he is underwater by 37 points.

The poll underscores the threat Biden poses to Trump in a possible 2020 matchup. Trump has been fixated on the former vice president in recent weeks, predicting Biden would secure the Democratic nomination and seeking to attack him for his ties to China and his political record.

Trump repeatedly hit Biden during a Monday night campaign rally in Pennsylvania, a state that will be crucial to the outcome of the 2020 race.

The Quinnipiac survey found that Trump’s approval rating is nearly 20 points underwater. Thirty-eight percent of respondents approved of his performance, compared to 57 percent who disapproved.

The low approval figures were accompanied by overall positive views of the economy, which Trump regularly takes credit for.

Twenty-two percent of voters surveyed said the economy was “excellent,” and 49 percent said it was “good.” The 71 percent combined total is the highest mark in more than 17 years, according to Quinnipiac.

Fifty-two percent of voters said they are better off financially than they were in 2016, the poll found.

But Trump received poor marks on foreign policy and trade, dragging down his overall approval number.

The poll, conducted May 16–20 among 1,708 voters, has a margin of error of 3.7 points. The survey included 454 Democrats and respondents who lean Democratic, with that group having a margin of error of 5.6 points.