CNN’s Political Director, David Chalian, recently highlighted the increasing complexity of the presidential race for President Joe Biden, noting that states traditionally leaning Democratic are becoming more competitive.
Former President Donald Trump has maintained a steady lead over Biden in key swing states and nationwide over the past few months. Following their recent debate, Trump has expanded his lead according to at least five polls. On “CNN News Central,” Chalian noted that traditionally Democratic-leaning states like Minnesota, Virginia, and New Mexico are now becoming competitive for Trump, despite being considered “light blue.”
“Pre-debate, Donald Trump had a two-point edge in a poll of polls, an average of national polls, 49% to 47%. That’s a pretty close race. You see post-debate, Donald Trump has stayed the same. He didn’t grow his support with the debate, but Joe Biden took on some water,” Chalian said. “He is down to 44%, and that’s a five-point lead in the poll of polls for Donald Trump. So to say that the debate had no impact, I don’t think is reflected by a totality of the polls. Also, if you look at the electoral map, guys, and the road to 270, it’s only going to get more complicated.”
“Look here, this is our latest assessment of the race as the yellow are the true battlegrounds,” he continued. “You have some leaning red states that are clearly heavily contested states as well, like Georgia, North Carolina and Nevada, Michigan. But we are now talking about the light blue states, perhaps Minnesota, Virginia, New Mexico, that are leaning Democratic,” Chalian continued.
“Now, they may be coming on line as more competitive in this moment. We need to see how true that is. If that happens, that means more resources that Biden has to spend in a greater number of states than he’s currently spending. If the map expands against him, that’s not a position of strength heading into this fall campaign,” he added.
After the historic debate between Biden and Trump, renowned pollster Frank Luntz reported a significant shift in voter sentiment among undecided swing-state residents. The debate, which was aired on CNN, marked the first time a sitting president and his predecessor squared off, offering a unique spectacle that captivated the nation.
According to Luntz, the majority of his focus group, which consisted of undecided voters from critical swing states, overwhelmingly leaned toward Trump after the debate. “In my entire professional career, I’ve done 32 debates. Never has someone performed [like Biden last night]. And I was very upset with Donald Trump in 2020. I have never seen a performance like I saw last night,” said Luntz.
“We’ve never had that before. We are truly in uncharted territory. And what blew me away the most was that Joe Biden voters in 2020 don’t want him on the ticket in 2024. What is the reaction you had [from] 14 swing voters from these states? All undecided, all voting Republican and Democrat back and forth over the last 10 years. And boy, did they swing,” Luntz added.
One participant from the focus group remarked, “He does not have the leadership qualities to survive for the next four years. I don’t even know how he’s going to survive the next few months. They need a candidate that could beat Trump.” Another member reflected on their past support for Biden, stating, “I just think if the Democrats want to have a chance at putting someone in the White House, they need to put someone else up.”
“I think in 2020, Biden was a safe option that was relatively non-harmful to replace Trump,” another said. “And frankly, I didn’t think it reflected these same cognitive issues that we see tonight on the campaign. Yeah, it was a little dry, but it was definitely not to the same extent. I think tonight, I’m not sure how he functions during an eight-hour workday, let alone an eight-plus-hour workday.”
Disclaimer: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.