Most U.S. voters — 75% — say that the Democratic Party will have a better chance at holding on to the White House if it replaces President Joe Biden as its nominee, according to a new CNN poll released Tuesday.
The numbers were driven by Democrats and Democrat-leaning voters, who said the party has a better chance of winning with someone other than Biden ( 56%), with 43% saying the party's chances are better with him, reported CNN.
The poll was conducted between June 28 and 30 among a random sample of 1,274 adults, including 1,045 registered voters, and carried a margin of error of 3.5 points overall and 3.7 points with registered voters.
Democrats' confidence in Biden's chances of winning has not grown since he locked down their party's nomination, as 53% then said the party would fare better with someone else while 46% were more sure of Biden.
In comparison, Republicans have grown more confident that they'll win with Trump than without him, with 83% saying Republicans have a better chance with former President Donald Trump, up by 11 points from January, when 72% felt that way.
The poll, conducted by SSRS, also showed Biden's approval rating dropped to a new low following his struggles during last week's debate with Trump, and that voters would choose Trump in a head-to-head matchup by 6 points, 49% to 43%, remaining steady with the lead Trump has held in the network's polling dating back to last fall.
Vice President Kamala Harris, however, came much closer to Trump in a hypothetical matchup, with just 2 points separating them among registered voters, 47% of whom picked Trump to 45% for Harris.
Her higher numbers reflected support from women, with 50% of female voters backing her over Trump compared to 44% backing Biden over Trump, and independents, with 43% picking her against the former president compared to 34% for Biden.
No other potential replacements for Biden came as close as Harris:
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom: 48% Trump; 43% Newsom.
- Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg: 47% Trump; 43% Buttigieg.
- Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: 47% Trump; 42% Whitmer.
Even with Harris coming in closest to Trump, she only carried a 29% favorability rating. She had a 49% unfavorable rating. Just 22% said they either had no opinion of her or never heard of her.
Biden's support among Democrats, even after the debate, has continued to climb. The poll showed his support went from 85% to 91% now.
Meanwhile, 93% of Republicans said they back Trump, in numbers that have remained steady, and the former president gained 10 points among independents since April, climbing from 34% to 44%.
The share of independents who say they would vote for neither Biden or Trump went up from 15% in April to 21%.
Both candidates' supporters say they're backing the likely nominees themselves rather than voting for them to oppose the other party. Two-thirds, or 66% of Trump's backers, say they're voting for him, not against Biden.
Just 37% of Biden's supporters say they're voting for him personally, not as a vote against Trump.
The poll further showed Biden's approval rating among all Americans is at 36%, with 45% saying they strongly disapprove of his performance.
His favorability ranking is low, with 34% saying they see him favorably, compared to 58% unfavorably.