Joe Biden fancies himself a historic president with a record that none of his predecessors could match. Never a day goes by when Biden doesn't proclaim to have the greatest job creation record of any president or to have the most diverse administration in history. Despite Biden's inflated view of himself, the people who will vote for him aren't so keen about him as they are rabidly anti-Trump.
According to a new CBS News/YouGov survey, over half of Biden’s supporters, 54%, are primarily motivated by their opposition to former President Donald Trump in the upcoming election. Even though Biden uses every opportunity to pat himself on the back for his so-called accomplishments, the number of Biden voters who say they're motivated by their hatred of Trump has increased by seven points since March.
The percentage of those who said they're supporting Biden because they like him has also gone down. In March, 31% of Biden voters said the main reason for supporting him was because they liked him. That has gone down to 27% in the latest survey.
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Additionally, approximately one-fifth (19%) of respondents stated that they are backing Biden simply because he is the presumptive Democratic nominee — which is down two points since March.
The Hill has more.
CBS pollsters noted how voters frame their decision, either as a referendum or a choice, is a strong influence in their choice.
Of those who said they see the election as a judgement on Trump, most vote for Biden, 66 percent to 34 percent. When people see it as a judgement on just Biden, they vote for Trump, also 66 percent to 34 percent.
With voters who see it as a comparison between the two candidates, slightly more respondents are voting for Trump, 53 percent, over Biden, who shored up 47 percent support.
The same poll found Biden and Trump basically tied nationally and in battleground states. Trump received 50 percent support nationally among likely voters, while Biden had 49 percent. In battleground states 50 percent of likely voters chose Biden, while 49 percent backed Trump.
Both candidates have secured more than enough delegates to be considered their respective parties’ presumptive nominees but will be officially nominated at their parties’ conventions this summer.
Support for a candidate based in opposition to his opponent is called “negative support,” and what's troubling for Biden is that despite being in office for three-and-a-half years, his negative support has stayed the same.
According to a 2020 Pew Research poll, “for Biden supporters, opposition to Trump is by far the most frequently mentioned reason why they support him.” When voters were asked an open-ended question about the main reason they support or lean towards voting for Biden, 56% cited their opposition to Trump.
That means that despite everything Biden claims to have accomplished, more than half of those supporting him are just voting against Trump. That this number has been unchanged since Biden previously ran is a devastating indictment of his presidency and record. It means that more than half of Democrats don't find his record of accomplishment compelling enough to vote for Biden because they like him and what he's done.
If Biden can't even get his own party excited about him as he seeks reelection, getting independents to back him will be even tougher.
