Feb 13, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Poll: Joe Biden loses status as most electable Democrat

Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images

The share of Democratic primary voters who believe Joe Biden has the best chance out of any 2020 candidate to beat President Trump has dropped to 17%, down 12 points since the New Hampshire primary, according to a Morning Consult national poll.

Why it matters: Biden's electability pitch is widely considered his core appeal as a candidate.

  • Biden's competitors, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Mayor Pete Buttigieg, have faced frequent electability questions surrounding their age, experience and left-wing policies.
  • After winning in New Hampshire, Sanders now leads as the most likely candidate to beat Trump at 29%, followed by Michael Bloomberg at 25%. Both surpassed Biden in Morning Consult's post-New Hampshire poll.

Details: Underwhelming performances by Biden in Iowa and New Hampshire have hurt his candidacy. 46% of voters said Biden's showing in New Hampshire made them less likely to vote for him.

  • Confidence that Biden is the best candidate to beat Trump among black voters — a key voting bloc for Biden — also fell by 10 points to 21%.

The big picture: In horse-race polling, Sanders has opened up a 10-point lead over Biden in the days since the New Hampshire primary.

  • Sanders: 29% (+4)
  • Biden: 19% (-3)
  • Bloomberg: 18% (+1)
  • Buttigieg: 11% (0)
  • Warren: 11% (-1)
  • Klobuchar: 5% (+3)

Worth noting: National polls have their limitations, since the Democratic primary is organized state by state.

Methodology: Morning Consult conducted the survey with 2,639 likely Democrat voters nationwide. The margin of error is ± 2.

Go deeper: Bloomberg's monopoly, Biden's market crash

Go deeper

Axios
Updated 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 7:30 p.m. ET: 18,982,658 — Total deaths: 712,266— Total recoveries — 11,477,642 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 7:30 p.m. ET: 4,873,747 — Total deaths: 159,931 — Total recoveries: 1,598,624 — Total tests: 59,652,675 — Map.
  3. Politics: Pelosi rips GOP over stimulus negotiations: "Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn" — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine tests positive.
  4. Public health: Majority of Americans say states reopened too quickly — Fauci says task force will examine aerosolized spread.
  5. Business: The health care sector imploded in Q2 — More farmers are declaring bankruptcy — July's jobs report could be an inflection point for the recovery.
  6. Sports: Where college football's biggest conferences stand on playing.
Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow
Dave Lawler
2 hours ago - World

Nuclear free-for-all: The arms control era may be ending

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

The mushroom clouds over Hiroshima and Nagasaki have remained unreplicated for 75 years in part because the U.S. and Soviet Union — after peering over the ledge into nuclear armageddon — began to negotiate.

Why it matters: The arms control era that began after the Cuban Missile Crisis may now be coming to a close. The next phase could be a nuclear free-for-all.

Go deeper (3 min. read)Arrow
Rashaan Ayesh
4 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Pelosi, Schumer demand postmaster general reverse USPS cuts ahead of election

Schumer and Pelosi. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer sent a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Thursday calling for the recent Trump appointee to reverse operational changes to the U.S. Postal Service that "threaten the timely delivery of mail" ahead of the 2020 election.

Why it matters: U.S. mail and election infrastructure are facing a test like no other this November, with a record-breaking number of mail-in ballots expected as Americans attempt to vote in the midst of a pandemic.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow