Key Findings
- Biden’s Standing: President Biden is heading into the 2024 presidential contest on firmer footing than a year ago, with his approval rating inching upward. Democrats have broadly accepted him as their standard-bearer, even if half would prefer someone else.
- Warning Signs: Despite his improved standing, Biden remains broadly unpopular among a voting public that is pessimistic about the country’s future. His approval rating is a mere 39 percent.
- Tight Race with Trump: The poll found Biden in a neck-and-neck race with former President Donald Trump, tied at 43 percent apiece in a hypothetical rematch in 2024.
- Voters’ Feelings: Biden has been buoyed by voters’ feelings of fear and distaste toward Trump. Some Republicans, like John Wittman, a heating and air conditioning contractor, would vote for Biden over Trump, calling Trump “a criminal.”
- Democratic Support: Biden’s support among Democrats is wide but not deep. About 30 percent of voters who plan to vote for Biden in November 2024 hope Democrats would nominate someone else.
- Enthusiasm for Harris: A higher share of Democrats, 26 percent, expressed enthusiasm for the notion of Vice President Kamala Harris as the nominee in 2024.
- Weak Showing Among Small Donors: The lack of fervor about Biden helps explain the relatively weak showing among small donors in a quarterly fundraising report.
- Voters’ Views: Some voters, like Melody Marquess, a retiree from Texas, voted for Biden in 2020 as “the lesser of two evils” and would again vote for him over Trump, despite concerns about age and handling of the pandemic.
