Then-U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden during the U.S. presidential debate on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020. Photo: Morry Gash/AP/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Prominent Democrats have publicly expressed doubt about President Biden's ability to win the 2024 election.
Why it matters: New polling showed former President Trump set to handily net key swing states in a potentially historic rematch against Biden, as the president struggles to foster party unity over the Israel-Gaza war.
- Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said Sunday the 2024 election is in "great trouble" for Biden, while Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said he was "concerned" before and after Sunday's polling. Blumenthal added that the party has its "work cut out."
- David Axelrod, the Democratic strategist and former Obama adviser, said Biden should consider dropping out of the race.
State of play: The New York Times and Siena College poll out Sunday found Trump leading Biden in five of six swing states that Biden won in 2020: Nevada, Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania. The exception was Wisconsin.
- Biden's support among nonwhite voters has also been plummeting, while Trump's support among Black voters popped to 22 points in the swing states.
What they're saying: "If [Biden] continues to run, he will be the nominee of the Democratic Party," Axelrod said on X, formerly Twitter. "What he needs to decide is whether that is wise; whether it's in HIS best interest or the country's?"
- Jayapal, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, has been a fierce supporter of Biden. She emphasized Sunday during an interview on MSNBC that keeping Democratic control was vital during the growing Middle East conflict.
- "These young people — Muslim Americans, Arab Americans, but also young people — see this conflict as a moral conflict and a moral crisis," she told host Jen Psaki, former White House press secretary under Biden.
Of note: In the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Biden's political team has been particularly concerned about younger voters. Polls show they're less pro-Israel than their parents' generation.
- The president's stance also appears to be hurting him with Arab American voters.
Zoom out: Biden has been plagued by low approval ratings and questions about his age throughout his term.
- He's also facing a public that sees a much worse economy than encouraging trends suggest, with Democrats questioning the effectiveness of "Bidenomics" branding.
Go deeper: Democrats quietly move to succeed Biden