Aug 20, 2019 - Politics & Policy

Jill Biden tells voters to pick the candidate who can beat Trump

Philadelphia Joe and Jill Biden share the stage as former Vice President kicks off his 2020 campaign at an outdoor rally on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia

Former Vice President Joe Biden and former second lady Jill Biden at a May campaign rally in Philadelphia. Photo: Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Jill Biden has a message for voters backing 2020 rivals of her husband, Joe Biden: Your candidate may be better on a policy issue, but the bottom line is "we have to beat [President] Trump."

What she's saying: In video filmed by MSNBC at a campaign event in Manchester, New Hampshire, Monday, she said, "I want you to think about your candidate, his or her electability, and who's going to win this race." She pointed to his consistently strong poll numbers, with some showing he'd beat Trump.

The other side: A June Quinnipiac University national poll found the former vice president and 5 other Democratic candidates would beat Trump in a head-to-head matchup.

The big picture: A Reuters/Ipsos poll published this month in which Biden emerges as the favorite just ahead of Sen. Bernie Sanders finds 36% of Democrats simply want a candidate who can win.

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