Several candidates have stepped forward to challenge President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination in 2024, which is remarkable in and of itself given that incumbents typically run unopposed.
However, these are not ordinary times.
Biden, who is 80 years old, continues to exhibit signs of aging, and the United States faces a growing number of challenges, spanning from high inflation to foreign crises such as the war in Ukraine and a threatening China. The U.S. border is in disarray, interest rates are persistently high, and homelessness and crime plague our largest cities, all of which are governed by the president’s party.
As a culture war between the left and right rages, Americans are at each other’s throats, politically divided, and living in a racially fraught society.
Given the current condition of the nation and the administration of Vice President Joe Biden, it should come as no surprise that he is being challenged for his party’s nomination ahead of an election next year that an increasing number of Americans believe will determine the country’s future.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose family has a lengthy history in Democratic Party politics, even if it is a party from a different, less extreme era, is one of those challenging Biden.
Not only has RFK Jr. decided to get into the race, but he is also off to a stunningly good start “with the support of 14% of voters who backed President Joe Biden in 2020, an exclusive USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll finds.”
“That is surprising strength for a candidate who has a famous political name but is now known mostly as the champion of a debunked conspiracy theory blaming childhood vaccines for autism,” USA Today snarked.
According to the survey conducted between Saturday and Tuesday, only 67 percent of those who supported Biden in 2020 intend to support him over his current competitors for the Democratic nomination.
In contrast, Kennedy received 14% of the vote, while self-help author Marianne Williamson, who ran for the nomination in the previous election cycle, received 5%. According to USA Today, the survey also revealed that 13% of respondents remained undecided.
BREAKING NEWS: RFK Jr launches Democratic presidential challenge to Biden https://t.co/paMRnnMpuW
— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 19, 2023
USA Today poll finds RFK Jr with 14% support among 2020 Biden voters in challenge to Biden. 'Findings underscore Biden's potential vulnerability to a more mainstream challenger for the Democratic nomination…' https://t.co/SqdPTRqc5x
— Byron York (@ByronYork) April 20, 2023
600 Biden voters participated in the survey, which was conducted using both landline and mobile phone conversations. From 2020 to 2022, these electors were identified through national and state polls. The poll has an error margin of plus or minus four percentage points.
These results suggest that Biden may be vulnerable to a more conventional opponent in the Democratic nomination contest, even though there has not yet been a leading challenger. In addition, the findings suggest that he may face opposition from a third-party candidate in the general election, as reported by the news source.
“In 2020, Joe Biden received more votes than any other president in U.S. history, yet the poll tells us that those same voters are open to other Democrats to wage a spirited primary,” David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, told USA Today. “Kennedy, although a long shot at this point, starts in double digits and can’t be ignored.”
More on this story via Conservative Brief:
Among the Biden voters who disapprove of the president’s performance, Kennedy secured the support of 33 percent, while 35 percent of those who think that Biden’s policies are “too liberal” also backed him. Kennedy’s appeal was especially strong among self-identified conservatives, younger voters, and those without a college degree, the report said. CONTINUE READING…
