More Democrats than Republicans want President Joe Biden kicked off the ticket, a shocking dismissal of the party chief just months before Election Day.
Fifty-four percent of Democratic likely voters would approve of Biden being replaced, a very unlikely possibility with the party nominating convention set for mid-August. Biden has won his primaries in runaways.
They have no alternative in mind other than former first lady Michelle Obama, who has repeatedly vowed not to run.
The devastating results were delivered by Rasmussen Reports on Tuesday. In the poll shared with Secrets, just 38% of Democrats said they would disapprove of replacing Biden on the ticket despite growing concerns about his meandering policies and mental and health failings.
By comparison, just 43% of Republicans said they would approve of Democrats replacing Biden on the ticket. It was higher among independents, at 50%.
The survey indicated that Democrats understand they are stuck with Biden. When asked how likely it was that Biden would be replaced, 38% said it was likely, while 57% said it wasn’t.
The lack of a good second choice may play a role in depressing Democrats. While Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) has been the most talked about alternative, just 8% of Democrats think he would be a better presidential candidate than Biden. For Obama, it was 21%. Vice President Kamala Harris was considered a better pick than Biden by 17% of Democrats.
The top pick was “none of them,” at 31%.
When Republicans and independent likely voters are included in the results, 49% said they would approve of Biden being replaced on the ticket. Another 37% disapproved.
As usual, Rasmussen’s survey was made up of 35% Democrats, 33% Republicans, and 32% mostly independents.
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There is little the Democrats can do about replacing Biden. He has won 3,664 delegates and only needs 1,968 to win the nomination. The only way to change the outcome would be for Biden to step aside. The last sitting president to do that was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968, when he faced widespread opposition inside the party over his Vietnam War policies.
Biden faces protests over his policies in Israel and the economy but remains deadlocked with former President Donald Trump in many popularity polls. Trump is the presumptive GOP nominee.