Big Biden bummer: N.Y. Times/Siena poll shows gaps with key Democratic groups
Published Date: 3/2/2024
Source: axios.com

More than half, 65%, of voters think the country is heading in the wrong direction, according to a poll The New York Times and Siena College published Saturday.

Why it matters: Just under half of those surveyed, 43%, believe President Joe Biden's policies have hurt them personally — which isn't particularly encouraging news for the Democratic frontrunner likely to face off against former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.


Between the lines: "The poll offers an array of warning signs for the president about weaknesses within the Democratic coalition, including among women, Black and Latino voters," The Times reports. "So far, it is Mr. Trump who has better unified his party, even amid an ongoing primary contest."

  • The shares of Democratic primary voters who said Biden should be the nominee (46%) and those who said he shouldn't (45%) are roughly equal. Among Democrats under 45, opposition was even stronger.

Context: The New York Times identified as one of the "more ominous findings" for Biden that "the historical edge Democrats have held with working-class voters of color who did not attend college continues to erode."

  • While Biden got 72% of that group in 2020 exit polling, up almost 50 points above Trump, the recent poll had Biden leading only slightly, 47% compared to Trump's 41%.

What they're saying: Michael Tyler, communications director for the Biden-Harris 2024 campaign, said in a statement that "polling continues to be at odds with how Americans vote, and consistently overestimates Donald Trump while underestimating President Biden."

  • Tyler said "Trump and the party he leads are weak, cash-strapped, and deeply divided."
  • "Our campaign is ignoring the noise and running a strong campaign to win — just like we did in 2020," Tyler said in the statement.

Go deeper: What Biden will tell the nation at next week's State of the Union