Democrats approve of the president’s work and would support him, but they are concerned about his age, polls show.
As Joe Biden prepares to launch a re-election bid, a new poll shows about half of Democrats want him to run again, but more than 80 percent said they would still support the US president against a Republican rival in the 2024 general election. .
The poll released Friday by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 26 percent of Americans overall — including 47 percent of Democrats — want to see Biden seek a second term.
Biden’s candidacy appears to be gaining support among Democrats. A poll in January found that 37 percent of Democratic respondents said they would like him to run.
Overall, 81 percent of Democrats say they would be at least likely to support Biden in a general election if he is the nominee. The poll included 1,230 respondents.
Biden has explicitly stated that he intends to pursue the presidency again, but has not made a formal announcement. Several US media outlets have reported that the president will launch his campaign early next week, perhaps Tuesday — the day four years after he announced his 2020 campaign.
In Friday’s poll, 78 percent of Democratic respondents said they approve of Biden’s work as president. But his age seems to be the biggest concern in his candidacy.
At 80 years old, Biden is already the oldest president in American history. If reelected, he would be 82 at the time of his second inauguration and 86 by the end of that term.
Jenipher Lagana, 59, told the AP she loves Biden and described him as an “interesting man” who has had an “incredible political career.”
But “my problem with him in 2024 is he’s just so old,” said Lagana, who is retired and lives in California.
Sitting presidents up for re-election rarely face serious primary challenges within their party. Biden would be a clear favorite to win the Democratic nomination if he runs again.
So far, two other Democrats have announced 2024 presidential campaigns, but their bids are largely seen as long-running efforts.
Marianne Williamson, a self-help author and 2020 candidate, announced a primary challenge against Biden earlier this year, promising more progressive policies.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a descendant of one of the most powerful Democratic families known as a vaccine skeptic, also launched a presidential campaign this month, pledging to push back against what he called the “corrupt merger between state and corporate power”.
Kennedy is the nephew of assassinated United States President John F Kennedy and the son of Robert Kennedy, who served as Attorney General and was assassinated while running for president in 1968.
On the Republican side, former President Donald Trump appears to be the frontrunner for the 2024 nomination despite his legal troubles.
The former president faces criminal charges in New York and several investigations are underway, including his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has yet to announce his bid, is widely regarded as Trump’s closest rival for the Republican nomination. DeSantis rose to prominence in conservative circles when he championed right-wing cases on social issues in Florida as governor.
Nikki Haley, a former US envoy to the United Nations, is also seeking the Republican nomination.
Other candidates include former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson, Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur and author, and conservative commentator Larry Elder.