As calls grow for Biden to drop out of the 2024 race, polls show Harris and Trump in a statistical head-to-head matchup.
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Brandon Bell/Getty Images, Hannah Bell/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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As doubts swirl about President Joe Biden’s political future, questions have arisen about how the Democratic Party will fare in November’s election without him.
Calls for him to drop out of the race have grown in the weeks since his poor performance in June’s presidential debates, with a growing number of high-profile members of his party urging him to pass the torch to the president.
The latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist national poll released last week found that Biden and Trump remain statistically tied even after the widely criticized debate.
In head-to-head matchups, Biden leads Trump 50% to 48%, but that margin is within the survey’s margin of error of +/- 3.3 percentage points.
The poll also found that none of the Democrats mentioned as possible alternatives to Trump — including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer — fared better than Trump. Biden is better.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the clear front-runner to succeed Biden, holds a narrow 50% to 49% lead over Trump, creating another statistical tie.
NPR’s Domenico Montanaro writes: “As a result, Democrats have no clear alternative, and as Democrats calling for Biden’s ouster say, each of these candidates can make a more coherent case for themselves and their party.
Those numbers may differ after this week, as the Republican National Committee is expected to bring support to Trump, as party conventions typically do for the nominee.
As Trump prepares to formally accept the Republican nomination, Biden, who is isolating from COVID-19, has insisted he will remain in the race.
Biden’s campaign managers told reporters Thursday that they “will not consider any scenario where President Biden is not at the top of the ballot.”
