Campaign

Majority of Democrats want candidate other than Biden in 2024: poll

Just 35 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents want President Biden to run for second term in 2024, according to a new ABC News-Washington Post poll.

The poll, produced by Langer Research Associates, found that 56 percent of Democrats want the party to choose a different nominee for president, while 9 percent said they had no opinion.

Biden and his aides have stressed that the president intends to run again in 2024, although he has not made a formal announcement.

“It’s much too early to make that kind of decision,” Biden said when asked about his intentions on CBS’s “60 Minutes” last week, adding that an official announcement would trigger multiple campaign reporting rules.

“I’m a great respecter of fate,” he continued. “And so, what I’m doing is I’m doing my job. I’m gonna do that job. And within the time frame that makes sense after this next election cycle here, going into next year, make a judgment on what to do.”


The poll found that 39 percent of respondents approve of Biden’s job performance, compared to 53 percent who disapprove.

The president’s approval rating has remained underwater for more than a year with inflation near a 40-year high.

Thirty-six percent of respondents approved of Biden’s handling of the economy, while 57 percent indicated they disapprove.

Despite the deficit on his handling of the economy and general performance, the poll found an increasing proportion of Americans believe Biden has accomplished a great deal in the White House.

Forty percent said he’s accomplished a great deal or good amount as president, rising 5 percentage points from when the pollster asked the question last fall.

Democrats this summer achieved a string of legislative victories, including on issues like gun control, climate spending and semiconductors.

The 4 in 10 Americans who think highly of Biden’s accomplishments remains slightly below historical averages, however. Since 1993, the figure has clocked in at 43 percent on average.

Langer Research Associates conducted the survey by landline and cell phone between Sept. 18 and Sept. 21 among a random national sample of 1,006 adults. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.