Joe Biden’s main challenger says the numbers are “astounding” and show Donald Trump beating the incumbent president in most of the swing states crucial to achieving victory in 2024.
Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) said the American people sent a “powerful” message in the latest New York Times/Sienna poll as he remains the only serious contender against Biden for the Democratic nomination.
Of the six battleground states that historically go from red to blue during presidential elections, Trump could be on track to win five, according to the survey of 3,662 registered voters.
“There is no statement I can make that is more powerful than the statement Americans made in that poll,” Phillips told DailyMail.com in response to the new figures.
While the 80-year-old Biden remains the de facto Democratic nominee for 2024 as a sitting president and there are no candidates who can reach his voting level, Phillips, 54, is taking a chance and hoping to offer the party a younger, more energetic alternative.
Many polls show that a large majority of voters are concerned about Biden’s age and fitness for office. Yet that has not led to a whole series of Democrats rushing to run against the sitting president.
Democrats other than Phillips have expressed concerns about the latest polls.
Joe Biden’s main challenger, Rep. Dean Phillips, urged Democrats to “listen to the American people” after a new poll showed Trump beating the president in five of six key swing states for a win in 2024
David Axelrod, once a senior adviser to former President Barack Obama, suggested that Biden should drop out of the race as soon as the new numbers were released.
‘It is very late to change horses; “A lot will happen in the coming year that no one can predict, and Biden’s team says his decision to run has been made,” Axelrod wrote on X.
“Only Joe Biden can make this decision,” he added. “If he continues to run for office, he will become the nominee of the Democratic Party. What he has to decide is whether that is wise; Whether it is in HIS interest or in that of the country?’
The latest NYT/Sienna poll shows Trump leading voters in Nevada, Georgia, Arizona, Michigan and Pennsylvania, by margins of 3 to 10 percent.
Wisconsin is currently the only swing state where Biden is ahead – with just a two-point lead.
Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Michigan were five of the states where Biden defeated Trump in their 2020 White House showdown. However, in 2016, Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Michigan all went red for Trump.
Nevada remained blue in 2016 and 2020 — and Wisconsin voted for Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020.
“Many politicians lie or ignore inconvenient facts, but not the American people and not the numbers,” Phillips told DailyMail.com in response to the poll.
“The numbers are astonishing, and if we don’t start recognizing this reality, our government could look alarmingly different in January 2025.”
Biden’s campaign, as well as his supporters, allies and surrogates, have been quick to point out that Rep. Phillips has voted with Biden most of the time and note that they are unable to identify what he offers that is different from the president.
But critics argue that the aspect of age and physical and mental fitness alone could be enough to give him a little boost.
“We have a responsibility to look closely at these numbers, listen to what the American people are trying to tell us, and act accordingly,” Phillips said of the Biden-Trump poll.
The 2024 Democratic nominee could be negligent if he doesn’t follow his own advice.
The polling, while not extensive since Phillips announced in late October, has so far not shown him any chance of upset against Biden.
In fact, he doesn’t seem able to even outpace fellow Democratic nominee Marianne Williamson.
A Morning Consult poll released last week shows a whopping 69 percent gap between Biden and Phillips, with 73 percent saying they will vote for the current president and just 4 percent defecting.
Williamson also earned 4 percent in the same poll.