On a recent airing of a CNN segment, Larry Sabato from the University of Virginia Center for Politics addressed the stark contrast appearing in the electoral race between sitting President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. He echoed the clear sentiment that the competition is ‘no longer close.’ Sabato underscored the insufficiency of occasional interviews or rallies to narrow down the expanding gap.
Sabato expressed skepticism about the capacity of a single ABC News interview to alter the rapidly shifting political dynamics. ‘Halt the hemorrhage,’ he suggested, alluding to the noticeable decline in Biden’s popularity among voters. The magnitude of this political regression, Sabato pointed out, reflects prominently in the data and surveys, both public and private.
The Democratic party needs to come to terms with the reality that the situation is unpredictable and the once close race has quite a significant gap now. The showdown between Biden and Trump shows a definitive lead in favor of Trump. This is the bleak picture that presents itself in the current political landscape.
Sabato referenced various polls conducted the previous week, all of which showcased a similar trend – a rare occurrence in the field of polling. ‘The standing of Biden, who was seemingly equally matched or perhaps just two points behind Trump, now exhibits a deficit of six points, as unanimously decreed by these polls. This translates to millions of voters,’ Sabato highlighted.
The UVA professor dismissed the likelihood that a single well-received interview or rally could retrieve the masses of disillusioned voters. This declaration ominously foretells the path that lies ahead for the Biden presidency. Far from ebullitions of excitement, the Presidential race has turned into a struggle for survival for Biden.
Despite the odds, Biden insists on his decision to remain in the hunt against his predecessor, Donald Trump – a decision which seems contrary to popular voter sentiment. A Rasmussen Reports survey, revealed last Friday, delivered a stroke of devastating news for the Biden-Harris alliance.
The Rasmussen survey recorded a startling 55 percent of the respondents expressing a preference for the incumbent President Biden to pull back from the continuing Presidential race. In addition, half of the polled population suggested that the Democratic party consider a fresh candidate other than Kamala Harris to replace Biden.
Most strikingly, the study revealed that nearly half of the polled Democrats supported the notion that Biden should hand over the reins to an alternative representative from the Democratic Party. An additional blow came from another poll, conducted by Cygnal, which painted an equally, if not more, dismal picture for the Democrats.
The Cygnal survey presented a scathing review of President Biden’s performance during the debate and reflected a serious lack of faith in Vice President Harris. Cygnal President Brent Buchanan made a note of a significant shift favoring Republicans on a month-over-month basis post-debate that’s the most significant seen in national polling history.
According to Buchanan, ‘President Biden’s image took a hit with an unfavorable view held by 62% of those surveyed, following a debate performance that was seen as inadequate by 67% of the respondents.’ Buchanan goes on to add, ‘Undecided debate-watchers gave Trump a 4-point gain, and he drew another 3 points from previous Biden supporters. It’s indisputable that this has further soured the political climate for the Democrats.’
Despite the widening gap and growing discontent reflected by the polls, the President refuses to back down. In a typical gaffe, Biden announced at a Wisconsin rally that he still considers himself the Democratic Party’s Presidential nominee. He responded to speculation over whether he would continue in the race or withdraw.
Addressing a crowd during a 17-minute speech, he stated, ‘Here’s my answer: I’m running and going to win again.’ Pausing momentarily, he managed to voice his intention again, ‘I will beat Donald Trump,’ he asserted. ‘I will beat him again in 2020.’
He addressed his supports affirming his position, ‘I’m the nominee of the Democratic Party,’ in his halting speech directed at a crowd assembled in a middle school gym. ‘You voted for me to be your nominee — no one else. Some folks don’t seem to care who you voted for. Guess what? They are trying to push me out of the race. Let me say this as clearly as I can: I’m staying in the race,’ the President proclaimed.
This refusal to step aside despite evident declining popular support is typical of Biden’s tenacity, but as the surveys indicate, it might risk destabilizing the Democratic Party’s credibility and push for much-needed face-saving restructuring.