WASHINGTON – As President Joe Biden prepares to announce his re-election campaign next week, a new poll shows once again that many Democrats would prefer someone else.
Only half of Democrats, or 47%, think Biden should run again in 2024, according to The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll. Overall, just 26% of Americans want him to run.
The good news: 78% of Democrats said they approve of the job Biden is doing, and 81% said they would probably vote for him in the general election if he’s the nominee. Forty-one percent said they’d definitely back him; 40% said they probably would.
What’s about to happen
Biden is prepared to formally kick off his 2024 campaign with the release of a video next Tuesday, Democrats familiar with the plan told USA TODAY.
Biden has said for months that he intends to run but has held off on a formal announcement amid Republican infighting for the GOP nomination and the lack of viable Democratic challengers.
By choosing April 25, Biden would time the announcement with the four-year anniversary of his entry into the 2020 presidential election.
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Why it matters
Biden remains hampered by approval ratings in the low 40s heading into next year’s race.
Many polls continue to show a majority of Democrats prefer a different party standard-bearer.
Biden, 80, is already the oldest president in history. If he wins a re-election, he would be be 86 when he finishes a second term.
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What the latest poll tells us
Interviews with poll respondents suggest that the gap in Biden’s support reflects his age, as well as a clamoring from a younger generation of Democrats who say they want leadership that reflects their demographic and their values.
Biden has batted away questions about his age, saying that voters simply need to “watch me” to determine whether he’s up to the job as president.
The percentage of Democrats who say in the latest poll that they want him run is up slightly. Just 37% said in January he should run.
Michael Collins covers the White House. Follow him on Twitter @mcollinsNEWS.
Contributing: Joey Garrison and The Associated Press
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