Voters believe the Democratic and Republican front-runners for the presidency in 2024 are not the strongest option either party could nominate, but President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump appear likely to be facing off in next year's election.
A new poll from the Economist and YouGov, conducted from July 8-11, shows 61% of voters believe Biden is not the strongest candidate Democrats could nominate, while 53% of voters believe Trump is not the strongest candidate Republicans could nominate in 2024.
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Among the most skeptical about the two front-runners, Trump 2020 voters were the most doubtful that Biden is the strongest candidate Democrats could nominate in 2024, 84%, while Biden 2020 voters were the most skeptical that Trump is the strongest candidate Republicans could nominate in 2024, 76%.
Biden voters in 2020 also have some concerns that Biden may not be the strongest candidate Democrats can nominate, with a plurality, 40%, saying he is not the strongest compared to 35% who say he is the strongest presidential candidate for the party. When Trump 2020 voters were surveyed, 28% said he was not the strongest candidate the GOP could nominate in 2024, compared to 55% who say he is the strongest candidate Republicans could nominate.
Despite skepticism about the two candidates, both are currently leading respective nominating contests, per polling data. The same survey of voters shows Trump leading the GOP field with 48%, compared to Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) who has 22%, former Vice President Mike Pence at 5%, with no other candidate receiving more than 3%. Trump's lead over DeSantis has dropped slightly from the 51%- 21% advantage in a survey conducted by the same pollster in June, but he is still the definitive front-runner for the GOP.
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Biden does not have any major challengers in the Democratic primary, with potential contenders Govs. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) and Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) endorsing Biden in 2024. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Marianne Williamson are Biden's only competition in the primary, but the RealClearPolitics polling average shows Biden leading the Democratic field by nearly 50%.
In a head-to-head matchup in this survey, voters are evenly split between Trump and Biden for a 2024 rematch, 42%-42%.