Biden’s approval ticks up among independents, Dem support grows

President Biden’s approval rating has ticked up among independents since last month, and he’s seen a bump in his support among Democrats in the party’s presidential primary race, new polling shows.

The latest Emerson College Polling national survey puts Biden at a 37-percent approval rating among independents, four points up from December, when just 33 percent of that group said they approved of his handling of the presidency. 

“Although still underwater, this reflects a positive shift. Additionally, his disapproval among independents has decreased from 52% to 45%,” said Spencer Kimball, Emerson College Polling’s executive director, in the report. 

As he campaigns for another four years in the White House, Biden’s overall approval rating sits at 42 percent, relatively steady from last month, when it was 41 percent.  

In the Democratic primary, where Biden faces a handful of longshot challenger bids, the incumbent’s support among voters also jumped up in the last month. 

Nearly three-quarters, or 72 percent, of Democratic primary voters support Biden as the nominee — up nine points from December.

Rep. Dean Phillips (Minn.) and Marianne Williamson scored just 4 percent each. Another 19 percent of voters are undecided. 

“Biden has successfully strengthened his support among Democratic Primary voters, with undecided voters decreasing from 30% to 19% and his share of support increasing from 63% to 72%,” Kimball said. 

Biden and former President Trump, the Republican frontrunner, were neck-and-neck in a hypothetical head-to-head 2024 matchup in the poll, with 45 to 46 percent, respectively. 

The polling average maintained by The Hill and Decision Desk HQ, meanwhile, shows Trump holding a 2.4-point lead over Biden in such a matchup as of Tuesday.

The Emerson College Polling national survey was conducted Jan. 26-29 among 1,260 registered voters and has a credibility interval, similar to a poll’s margin of error, of plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.