A survey conducted by “Democrats for the Next Generation,” a group pushing for a so-called “mini-primary,” shows President Joe Biden losing all six critical swing states due to concerns about his age and mental fitness. No surprise there.
This poll, commissioned by the well-financed upstart advocating for a quickie primary among ten Democrats under the age of 60, also suggests that a younger candidate could beat former President Donald Trump. Imagine that, the age factor actually matters.
“Age is a potent issue in this campaign. Biden loses to Trump in a head-to-head contest, but a ‘qualified Democrat younger than Biden’ beats Trump by a solid margin,” the analysis by Emerson College Polling revealed. In other words, Biden’s age is dragging him down like an anchor.
“Flipped the other way, Biden loses to a ‘qualified Republican younger than Trump’ by a much greater margin than Biden loses to Trump. This suggests that both parties would perform better with a younger candidate and that, if the Democrats choose a younger candidate, they could be stronger,” it added. Groundbreaking, right? Apparently, younger blood can shake things up.
Biden, ever the stubborn one, vowed again on Monday to stay in the race and dismissed those trying to push him out as “elites” and “millionaires.” The main guy behind the mini-primary group is Bill Harris, a former chief executive of Intuit and PayPal. Because nothing says grassroots like a tech billionaire.
Among the fresh faces Harris would pit in the primary are Vice President Kamala Harris, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and everyone’s favorite progressive firebrand, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). That’s a lineup sure to spark some heated debates.
In the survey, Trump is leading Biden by an average of 4 percentage points in the six swing states, which is comfortably outside the margin of error. This aligns with other recent battleground polls, showing the same trend.
Specifically, Trump is up by 5 points in Pennsylvania, 5 points in Georgia, 1 point in Michigan, 4 points in Arizona, 3 points in Wisconsin, and 6 points in Nevada. The swing states are not exactly swinging in Biden’s favor.
The Emerson College Polling survey also asked registered voters for their ideal age of a president. Overwhelmingly, they preferred someone in their 50s. So, there you have it, folks. The voters want a president who’s not on the verge of a nap in the Oval Office.
