Most Democrats surveyed in a poll released early Monday said they would prefer a candidate other than President Biden as the party’s nominee in 2024.
The New York Times-Siena College poll found that 64 percent of Democrats questioned said they would prefer a different candidate. Twenty-six percent of Democrats said they would still support Biden in the next presidential election.
When asked why they would support a new candidate, 33 percent of Democrats cited age as their main reason, 32 percent said job performance, 12 percent said they will prefer someone new and 10 percent said Biden is not progressive enough.
Forty-four percent of all respondents said they would cast their vote for Biden if the 2024 presidential election were held today, while 41 percent of respondents said they would vote for former President Trump if he is a 2024 presidential candidate.
The White House has consistently said Biden, who will be 80 years old in November, intends to run for reelection in 2024. Recent polling numbers, however, show his approval rating has dipped among Americans.
The new poll also found that 76 percent of respondents said that they believe that the U.S. is headed in the wrong direction, and 13 percent believe it is headed in the right direction.
When asked what is the most important problem the country is facing, 20 percent of respondents said the U.S. economy, 15 percent said inflation and the cost of living, 10 percent said gun policies and 5 percent said abortion rights issues.
The New York Times-Siena College poll was conducted from July 5 to 7, with a total of 849 respondents. The poll’s margin of error is 4.1 percentage points.
Updated at 8:30 a.m.