CBS News poll finds Democrats meet Biden reelection bid with acceptance, more than excitement

Ahead of his reelection announcement Tuesday, Democrats liked and approved of President Biden. They said they would greet that announcement, though, with more acceptance than excitement. And about as much nervousness as confidence.

Here’s their rationale: 

The Democrats who want Mr. Biden to run again think his job performance warrants it and, echoing their 2020 calculus, say he can beat Republicans again in 2024. 

But nearly half of Democrats don’t want him to run, and they overwhelmingly cite his age as a reason. It’s not because they think he’d lose. They simply say it’s “time for someone new.” 

That said, this is important: even most Democrats who say he shouldn’t run would still consider supporting him in the primaries.

For context: The should/should not run measure, quite frankly, doesn’t always matter, as people can’t game out elections a year off. In 1995, almost four in 10 Democrats said the party shouldn’t renominate Bill Clinton, and he eventually won reelection easily. Today, most Democrats say they will consider backing Joe Biden for the nomination, whether or not they think he ought to run. 

What might matter, though, is excitement, because that could spur campaign activity, donations, and other influential factors in the near term.

This CBS News/YouGov survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 2,093 U.S. adult residents interviewed between April 21-24, 2023. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, and education based on the U.S. Census American Community Survey and Current Population Survey, as well as the 2020 presidential vote. The margin of error is ±3.2 points.

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