Nearly a third of Democrats believe President Biden should end his reelection bid following his lackluster debate performance against former President Trump last week, according to a new poll.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll, published Tuesday, found 32 percent of Democrats think Biden should give up his reelection bid just days after he squared off against Trump in the first debate of the 2024 general election season last week.
During the 90-minute debate, Biden appeared to stumble over his words and lose his train of thought, while his delivery frequently halted.
The performance sparked immediate panic from some within the Democratic Party, who expressed concerns over Biden’s ability to beat Trump in November and carry out another four-year term.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll, however, suggested Biden may not have lost ground since the debate, with both him and Trump maintaining the support of 40 percent of registered voters, Reuters reported.
When pollsters presented a series of names of top Democrats as potential replacements should Biden step aside, only former first lady Michelle Obama outmatched Biden, leading Trump 50 percent to 39 percent in a hypothetical match-up, per Reuters. The former first lady has repeatedly said she is not eying a presidential bid.
Vice President Harris, meanwhile, fell behind Trump by 1 point, 42 percent support to 43 percent, a difference that fell within the poll’s 3.5 percentage point margin of error. Reuters noted Harris’s numbers were statistically as strong as Biden’s.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, another floated replacement, trailed Trump by 3 points, 39 percent support to 42 percent, while Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer fell behind Trump 36 percent support to 41 percent.
Biden has already won the primaries, winning a majority of delegates, and thus he cannot be simply overthrown at the Democratic National Convention in August. The decision is ultimately up to him, and the Biden campaign said last week he is not going anywhere.
Democratic National Committee (DNC) rules require delegates that Biden won to pledge their support for his nomination unless Biden willingly decides to stand down. Before the convention opens on Aug. 19, the DNC could change the rules to block Biden, which is highly unlikely given current party dynamics.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online July 1-2 and surveyed 1,070 U.S. adults nationwide. It has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points, per Reuters.