Happy Birthday, Joe: New Poll Shows Democrats Want Biden To Take On Trump In 2020

Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 11:24 am

A new poll released today should make former Vice President Joe Biden smile as a plurality of Democrats think he should be the candidate to take on Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.

According to Rasmussen Reports, Biden gets a rather stunning 41 percent support from likely Democratic voters in a crowded field that includes other big progressive names: Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Sen. Cory Booker, and even Hillary Clinton.

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As Joe Biden travels the country to promote his new book, voters—especially Democrats—have renewed enthusiasm about the possibility of a 2020 presidential run for the former vice president, even though he has not yet committed to entering the race.

 

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 41% of Likely Democratic Voters think Biden would make the best candidate against President Trump if he runs for reelection in 2020, up from only 15% who felt that way in February.

In a field so large, the fact that Biden was able to pull in more than 40 percent of the vote is surprising, but it’s likely an indication that Democrats want a strong, well-known, likable candidate to take on Trump in 2020 – and they don’t want a divisive primary.

The good polling for Biden comes as he celebrates his 75th birthday on Monday.

Some political pundits cite Biden’s age or his previous unsuccessful campaigns as reasons why he will decide not to run or, if he does, lose another primary campaign – but with 71-year-old Trump’s popularity tanking and middle-of-the-road voters looking for a compassionate, competent leader who can speak to the concerns of average Americans, Biden may have finally found his moment.

It’s not just his supporters who are urging him to run. Biden himself believes he may be best equipped to win back some of the working-class, Midwest voters that Trump was able to con in 2016.

As Politico reported earlier this month: “For the first time in what would be the sixth presidential campaign that he’s either seriously flirted with or launched, Biden sees an argument for a candidacy for which he is the only answer: An elder statesman who can help repair the damage and divisions in the country and around the world, unite the competing wings of the Democratic Party, and appeal to traditional Democratic voters who fled last year for Trump.”

The next presidential election is a long way off, but it’s clear that Democrats already have their eyes on 2020. For now, they see Joe Biden as their best shot at taking down the dangerous man in the White House.

Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.