Joe Biden is officially running for president again — and if recent polls are any indication, most Americans are not thrilled about that news.
In a recent NBC News poll, 70 percent of respondents said they did not think Biden should run for reelection. That includes 51 percent of Democrats. Earlier polls have shown similar results, with most believing the party should move on.
Despite a better-than-expected midterm election cycle, the president’s political weaknesses remain glaring. His approval rating is currently 42.5 percent in FiveThirtyEight’s poll average, and he’s never really been known for firing up voters with great enthusiasm.
Then there’s the age issue — he’s already 80 and would be 86 at the conclusion of a hypothetical second term. “It’s hard to ignore the toll of Biden’s years, no matter how hard elected Democrats try,” New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg wrote earlier this year. All of these issues could imperil his chances of winning.
Biden also has some potent political strengths that shouldn’t be underplayed — and that may well be factoring into Democrats’ calculations to let him run unopposed. He’ll have the advantages of incumbency, and policy accomplishments he can tout. He has a track record of defying electoral doubters, most recently in those midterm elections last year. He notably has beaten potential GOP nominee Donald Trump once already.
But the factor that best explains his continued resilience is that the other options for the party don’t seem great either. Whatever Biden’s flaws, it’s far from clear which specific Democratic politician would be a better nominee, and whether that person could even win the nomination. And any attempt to supplant Biden in the primary would inevitably prove divisive and controversial, with history suggesting such efforts harm the winner’s general election prospects.
Biden previewed what a strong version of his campaign could look like at his State of…
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