A stunning new development on the campaign trail is likely sending waves of panic through President Joe Biden’s reelection team, The Hill reported on Monday, and there doesn’t seem to be much time left for him to turn things around.
Vulnerable Senate Democrats are distancing themselves from President Biden as his popularity wanes, with polls showing him trailing former President Trump in several key battleground states. These Democrats, facing tough reelection battles, are diverging from Biden on several issues, including border security, liquefied natural gas exports, the Israel-Hamas conflict, and tariffs on Chinese goods, The Hill noted.
Despite President Biden’s low approval ratings and his trailing position relative to Trump, these Senate Democrats are managing to stay competitive in the polls. However, they are concerned that the president’s political brand might begin to drag them down as Election Day approaches.
“If you go out there and do a focus group, the focus groups all say, ‘He’s 200 years old. You got to be kidding me.’ And the worst part about it is for unaffiliated voters or people that haven’t made up their mind, they look at this and say: ‘You have to be kidding us. These are our choices?’ And they indict us for not taking it seriously,” a Democratic senator who requested anonymity to discuss the alarm sparked by Biden’s weak poll numbers in battleground states told the outlet.
Polls indicate that 40 percent of registered voters in battleground states are either not too satisfied or not at all satisfied with the candidates in the presidential election. The senator mentioned that Democratic colleagues “know this is a problem” but also recognize that it’s too late to change the situation. They understand that “this is the ticket we have to get behind, and we have to win with this ticket.” He added of Dem senators in tough races who are polling better than Biden: “We’ll see how much gravity we can defy.”
Another Democratic senator said Biden’s age—and likely his visibly weak, confused condition when trying to speak—is also turning voters off.
“Biden’s showing his age in ways weirdly more than Trump,” said the senator, who noted that Trump, 77, is only four years younger than Biden, 81. “People keep saying, ‘Why didn’t he take a pass? He’s just so tired?’” the senator said of constituents who are baffled over Biden’s decision to run for a second term. “That is such a prevalent feeling.” The senator went on to note that the high cost of living under Biden, along with skyrocketing interest rates, is a big concern to voters as well.
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