Senate Democratic Leader Dick Durbin responded Sunday to a recent poll showing significant voter opposition to President Joe Biden seeking re-election.
Biden is expected to announce his 2024 re-election bid in a matter of days. Despite a number of notable achievements during his first term, including a historically strong showing for the Democratic Party in last year’s midterm elections, Biden’s approval ratings have steadily declined. Numerous polls indicate that a sizeable number of voters would prefer that he not seek re-election, although there is little precedent for such a decision by a sitting president.
One of those polls was published by NBC News on Sunday. While the poll focused predominantly on Republican support for former President Donald Trump, it also found that 70 percent of its 1,000 respondents did not believe Biden should run for office again in 2024, compared with 60 percent who He said the same about Trump. Despite the higher percentage for Biden, pollster Bill McInturff, who helped conduct the poll, said the results showed a general disinterest in another Biden-Trump showdown in 2024.
LOOK: In the last @NBCNews poll, 70% of Americans do not believe that President Biden should seek a second term. @SenatorDurbin (D-Ill.) Reacts: “It’s about 19 months before there’s an election; most people make their decision on the candidate 19 days before the election.” pic.twitter.com/Mx9q62nolu
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) April 23, 2023
“It’s clear that people don’t want a Biden-Trump rematch,” McInturff said.
Sunday, NBC Meet the press host Chuck Todd pressed Durbin, who represents Illinois and serves as Senate Majority Whip and the second-ranking Democrat, about the polls and what it could mean for Biden. In response, the senator was dismissive, arguing that there is plenty of time between now and Election Day 2024 for candidates to present their cases and for voters to make a call.
“There are about 19 months until there is an election. Most people make their decision about the candidate 19 days before the election,” Durbin said. “So we are way ahead of any decision making.”
The senator further argued in favor of Biden’s record, praising his response to the invasion of Ukraine and his fostering of the country’s relationship with China. He also highlighted Biden’s pro-abortion stance, which Republicans have consistently attacked after the Supreme Court struck down Roe vs. Wade last summer.
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The NBC News poll found that 58 percent of respondents were in favor of protecting abortion rights, in all cases or at least most of the time. The abortion issue has proven a considerable stumbling block for Republicans, who have pushed for increased restrictions and bans despite broad public support for the medical procedure. Some experts have argued that his opposition to abortion rights caused the Republican Party to perform poorly in the 2022 midterm elections and could lead to similar problems in 2024.
news week He reached out to the White House press office by email for comment.