The United States is hurtling toward a general election rematch between President Biden and former President Donald Trump that gives most voters the heebie-jeebies.
A plethora of surveys over the past year found that most Americans do not want a Biden-Trump sequel, citing the incumbent’s age and his predecessor’s legal baggage.
The first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary provided additional fodder for that storyline after more than 4 in 10 voters cast their support behind someone not named Biden or Trump.
Looking to tap into that dissatisfaction, Republican candidate Nikki Haley released a new television ad Wednesday in which Mr. Biden is described as “too old” and Mr. Trump as “too much chaos.”
“A rematch no one wants,” the narrator says.
Yet, barring a surprise or a health crisis, it seems more and more likely that is the lesser-of-two-evils choice voters will be sorting through over the next nine months.
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Mr. Trump has steamrolled the competition in the GOP primary. He won by a record-setting margin in Iowa and followed that up with a double-digit win in New Hampshire where the makeup of the electorate was seen as more favorable to Nikki Haley.
Mr. Biden, meanwhile, won in the Granite State despite not appearing on the ballot after activists led a write-in campaign.
At the same time, there are lingering doubts about how far the appeal of Mr Biden and Mr. Trump stretches outside their respective parties.
After capturing close to 20% of the Democratic primary vote in New Hampshire, Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota said his showing speaks to Mr. Biden‘s weakness, and the need for the party to turn the page.
“I am trying to wake up my part to what is an impending disaster,” Mr. Phillips said Wednesday on Fox News. “The truth is I think Joe Biden is the only person Donald Trump can beat, and reverse as well.
“We are facing a circumstance where most of this country — 70% — wants neither of these people,” he said.
SEE ALSO: Biden, eyeing reelection message, touts record Obamacare signups
Mr. Trump, meanwhile, carried 74% of registered Republicans in New Hampshire, while Ms. Haley won 64% of undeclared voters.
Roughly 4 in 10 voters said they would be dissatisfied if Mr. Trump wins the party’s nomination and said he would be unfit to be president if he is convicted of a crime.
Kyle Kondik, of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, said Mr. Trump won over larger percentages of the GOP electorate — in particular self-identified conservatives — in the opening contests in 2024 compared to 2016.
But Mr. Trump won smaller percentages of self-identified moderate and liberal voters, he said.
“Dominating with conservatives goes a long way toward winning a party, the Republican Party, that is dominated by conservatives,” Mr. Kondik said. “But the erosion with moderates may suggest some problems with the general electorate.”
Ms. Haley is playing up those concerns, reminding voters that the party has lost the Senate, House and White House since Mr. Trump won the 2016 election.
“The worst-kept secret in politics is how badly the Democrats want to run against Donald Trump,” Ms. Haley said at her primary night party. “They know Donald Trump is the only Republican in the country who Joe Biden can defeat.”
On Wednesday, the pro-Trump Make America Great Again, Inc. super PAC offered Ms. Haley a reality check.
“It’s very simple: you can’t become the Republican nominee without the support of Republican voters,” the group said in a statement. “Nikki Haley does not have Republican support.”
GOP leaders also continued to rally behind Mr. Trump.
“I’m looking at the math and the path going forward, and I don’t see it for Nikki Haley,” Ronna McDaniel, chair of the Republican National Committee, said on Fox News. “We need to unite around our eventual nominee, which is going to be Donald Trump, and we need to make sure we beat Joe Biden.”
For its part, the Biden campaign sounded eager to shift into full general election mode.
In a conference call with reporters, they signaled they are confident the 81-year-old’s support will grow once votes come to grips with the fact that Mr. Trump is the alternative.
“The GOP primary has laid bare the stark and indisputable reality that while Donald Trump has the united support of his MAGA base, he is struggling to make himself palatable to these key constituencies that will ultimately decide the election this November,” said Biden‘s campaign spokesperson Quentin Fulks.
Still, Mr. Biden faces headwinds in his party.
He is struggling to recreate the winning coalition of young voters, minorities and women that have powered Democratic victories in national elections.
His approval rating is 17 points underwater, according to a running tally from the political statistics website FiveThirtyEight.com that shows Mr. Trump‘s approval rating also is underwater, but roughly 8 points stronger than Mr. Biden‘s.
Former Rep. Cedric Richmond, a Biden campaign co-chair, downplayed the polls and said his boss should not be underestimated.
“You know, if I had a dollar for every time somebody counted Joe Biden out based on polls or something else, then I’d be independently wealthy,” he said.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.