Poll: Nearly Two-Thirds of Democrats Want Biden to Withdraw

A new poll from the Associated Press shows that a staggering majority of Democratic voters want Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 election in favor of a younger, more mentally competent candidate.

As reported by Axios, the AP-NORC poll, released on Wednesday, saw 65% of Democratic respondents support the notion that Biden should withdraw ahead of the November election. Among overall respondents, 70% supported a Biden withdrawal, while just 57% believe President Donald Trump should withdraw.

But along party lines, President Trump has much stronger and more unified support among his base, with 73% of Republicans supporting his candidacy while a mere 26% want him to drop out. By contrast, only 35% of Democrats want Biden to stay in.

A similar poll from ABC News saw 67% of voters in favor of Biden dropping out, due in large part to most voters no longer viewing Biden as a “mentally sharp” candidate.

Biden has faced increasing calls from his own party’s ranks for him to bow out of the race, following a historically disastrous performance in the first debate against President Trump. Trump’s recent harrowing survival of an assassination attempt has made the former president even more popular, leading to renewed concerns over Biden’s unpopularity with just over three months left before the November election.

While Biden initially remained defiant against these calls, recent reports suggest that he is now more open to the idea of stepping aside and letting Vice President Kamala Harris take the nomination instead. While the internal opposition to Biden started on the fringes of the party, more prominent Democrats have recently turned against Biden, including Congressman and Senate candidate Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). Allegedly, both Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) have privately pleaded with Biden to exit the race.