OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
A new survey spells more bad news for President Joe Biden and, more broadly, the Democratic Party, heading into the 2020 midterms.
The poll looked at voters who supported former President Donald Trump in 2016 but jumped to Biden in 2020, finding that now, just 3 in 10 of those voters would cast a ballot for the former long-serving U.S. senator from Delaware.
The survey, “published by Republican public opinion research firm J.L. Partners, also found 1 in 5 of the same voters graded Biden as performing ‘very well’ as president. Voters older than 65 were more critical of Biden, with 7% echoing the assessment,” the Washington Examiner reported.
The outlet adds:
J.L. Partners founder James Johnson, former British Prime Minister Theresa May’s chief pollster, predicts that so-called purple voters will be pivotal in November’s midterm elections and the next presidential cycle, estimating that approximately 4 million people are members of the group. For example, the poll found more than 1 in 4 planning to vote Republican this fall, prompted by liberal positions on the removal of statues and monuments, the use of gender pronouns, race protests, and cancel culture. About 68% remained committed to Democrats.
Johnson, too, attributes Biden’s and Democrats’ deteriorating purple voter support to disappointment over their handling of the economy and immigration policy as well as their promise to unite the country. Democrats retain their advantage over Republicans regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, purple voters’ top concern, and healthcare, according to Johnson.
“For Biden, the poll is bleak,” Johnson told the Washington Examiner.
As has been the cast mostly during their administration, the survey found Vice President Kamala Harris doing even worse; just 15 percent of purple voters give her a favorable job approval under Biden.
He went on to say that Republican candidates who focus on the last election would fair worse than if they instead highlighted other issues that are far more important to voters.
“A focus on the last election strongly deters them and, come November, could cost those candidates who are currently ramping up their rhetoric for the primaries,” Johnson said. “The GOP would do much better targeting their message on inflation, as well as crime and the border.”
Meanwhile, a separate survey found that Republicans have a distinct advantage in a half-dozen swing states due to one cultural issue.
“Issues related to transgenderism, such as participation in women’s sports, sex changes for minors and parental notification, face strong opposition among swing state voters, according to a new poll,” ADN America News reported on Saturday.
American Principles Project surveyed likely voters, who are considered generally to be a more reliable gauge, from six contested in the 2022 midterm elections – Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – on a number of current issues:
According to the study, 56% of respondents support laws that prohibit biological males who identify as transgender women from participating in girls’ sports programs at the K-12 and collegiate levels, compared to 33% who opposed them. 47% strongly supported such bans.
“There should be no doubt about it now: cultural issues are a big winner for Republicans,” said Terry Schilling, APP President, in a statement.
“While the left-wing media may attack these positions as ‘bigoted,’ the truth is that these are commonsense views held by most Americans, even in highly competitive battleground states,” he added.
Overall, “Republican candidates had a 6-point lead over Democrats on a generic 2022 midterm ballot, 45% to 39%, with the remaining 16% undecided,” ADN America News reported.
The two new surveys are just the latest in a series of them showing support for the current administration tanking amid rising concerns about a number of so-called “pocketbook” issues.
They include record-high inflation with has sent prices of gasoline, diesel fuel, food, energy, housing, and more skyrocketing.
As for a potential rematch with Biden, Trump is up by double digits, according to a survey published earlier this month:
— Trump is preferred over Biden by a 50-36 percent margin;
— By a nearly 2-1 margin, voters do not even want to see Biden’s name on the ballot in 2024.
“A majority of voters think President Joe Biden shouldn’t seek reelection in 2024, and he would lose a rematch with former President Donald Trump by double-digit margins,” noted an early analysis of the Rasmussen Reports poll sponsored by the Heartland Institute.
“Sixty-one percent (61%) of likely U.S. voters believe Biden should not run for a second term as president in 2024. Only 28% say Biden should seek reelection, while another 11% are not sure. If the next presidential election were held today, and Biden were running against Trump, 50% would vote for Trump while 36% would vote for Biden,” according to the Heartland/Rasmussen survey.
