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Half of likely Democratic primary voters want the party to nominate someone other than President Biden to run the 2024 race for the White House, a new poll has found.

Although Biden is a near-certainty to be nominated for a second term next summer, only 45% of likely primary voters want the 80-year-old to be the party’s standard-bearer, while 50% want someone else, according to the New York Times/Siena College survey out Tuesday.

A plurality of Democrats who don’t want Biden renominated (39%) say their aversion is due to his advanced age, while another 20% say he hasn’t done a good enough job to earn a second term. Still another 14% said they would prefer someone new.

When asked how they would feel if Vice President Kamala Harris were the nominee, two-thirds (67%) of Democratic primary voters said they would either be “enthusiastic” or “satisfied” with the idea.

By comparison, more than seven in 10 likely Democratic voters (71%) said they would be “enthusiastic” or “satisfied” if Biden was the party pick — though the “enthusiastic” quotient was slightly higher for Harris than Biden (26% as opposed to 20%).

The same poll found last year that just 26% of likely Democratic primary voters wanted Biden to be renominated, with the ensuing 12 months seeing a 30 percentage-point boost in the president’s support among likely Democratic voters 65 and older.

In the primary race itself, Biden has 64% support, while environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has 13% and spiritual guru Marianne Williamson has 10% support.

In a head-to-head rematch of the 2020 election, Biden and former President Donald Trump each receive 43% support, with 6% saying they either were not going to vote at all or would not vote if those were the two major party candidates.


  President Biden has eked out stronger support from Democrats compared to a year ago, but is suffering from low enthusiasm, according to the poll. AP President Biden has eked out stronger support from Democrats compared to a year ago, but is suffering from low enthusiasm, according to the poll. AP

  Donald Trump has been facing mounting legal woes of late and recently predicted he will soon get slapped with a new indictment. AFP via Getty Images Donald Trump has been facing mounting legal woes of late and recently predicted he will soon get slapped with a new indictment. AFP via Getty Images

Another 4% said they would support someone else and the remaining 4% said they didn’t know whom they would support or refused to answer.

Notably, the poll shows Biden only narrowly ahead of Trump among Hispanics (41%-38%) and self-described independents (42%-37%), while the former president leads the incumbent among respondents making both under $50,000 per year (44%-40%) and between $50,000 and $100,000 per year (44%-41%). Trump also leads Biden among respondents who didn’t vote in 2020, 37% to 31%.

Biden’s job approval rating sits at 39% in Tuesday’s poll, while only 23% of respondents feel the US is on the right track (65% say America is heading in the wrong direction). The president had a slightly higher personal favorability rating of 43%, including 83% among his 2020 voters.


  Voters are slowly warming up to President Biden’s economic policies, but are still overwhelmingly dissatisfied. REUTERS Voters are slowly warming up to President Biden’s economic policies, but are still overwhelmingly dissatisfied. REUTERS

  Donald Trump and President Biden appear poised for a rematch in 2024. AFP via Getty Images Donald Trump and President Biden appear poised for a rematch in 2024. AFP via Getty Images

Meanwhile, 41% of those surveyed had a very or somewhat favorable view of Trump. That figure soars to 83% among those who voted for him in 2020.

In another warning sign for the president, just 20% of respondents say economic conditions are “excellent” (2%) or “good” (18%) while 78% rated them “fair” (29%) or “poor” (49%).

Biden has begun aggressively touting “Bidenomics,” seeking to counter Republican grumblings about inflation and other monetary issues.

Biden has a 0.9 percentage-point edge over Trump in the latest RealClearPolitics aggregate and his average job approval rating is 42.1% approve to 54.1% disapprove.

The New York Times/Siena College poll was conducted among 1,329 registered voters July 23-27 with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.67 percentage points.

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