Although Democrats are working hard to come to terms with he inevitable reality that former Vice President Joe Biden will be their nominee for president, enthusiasm for Biden remains relatively low and is certainly not yet high-pitched enough to benefit Biden in the general election.
According to a new HuffPost/YouGov poll, a full 77% of Democrats believe that Biden will be the nominee, a scenario that does not exactly inspire enthusiasm.
“A 77% majority of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters now say Biden is the most likely to win the primary ― a stark change from a poll taken after the New Hampshire primary, when only 15% considered him the probable victor,” reports HuffPost.
Just 48% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters expressed enthusiasm about Biden as the nominee. Another 21% said they would be markedly upset. Given that Biden will be taking on an incumbent president, low enthusiasm (and nearly a quarter of voters outright opposed) could be damaging in battleground states where voter turnout will be a deciding factor. There will certainly be a decline if Sanders’ supporters boycott the Democrats’ nominee over charges of a “stolen” process.
More on the findings from HuffPost:
Sentiment about the candidates is divided sharply along generational lines: 62% of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters aged 45 and older would be enthusiastic about Biden as the nominee, while just 28% under age 45 say the same. In contrast, 55% of those younger voters, but just 29% of the older group, would be enthusiastic about a Sanders nomination.
Similarly, 37% of those under 45, but just 9% of those 45 and older, would be upset if Biden won the nomination. If Sanders prevails, 34% of the older group would be upset, compared to 18% of those in the younger demographic.
About two-thirds of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters say they’re at least satisfied with the current field of candidates overall, with a quarter dissatisfied or worse.
Unless Joe Biden somehow commits the gaffesto end all gaffes on Monday, he will most solidify himself as the nominee come Tuesday when Michigan – a state Sanders desperately needs to win if he will have any shot at the nomination — holds its primary. As reported by The Daily Wire’s Emily Zanotti, Bernie’s prospects are looking increasingly bleak in the state of Michigan, which he won in 2016 against Hillary Clinton.
“An ‘early results’ poll commissioned by local news outlet, the Detroit Free Press, shows Biden with a commanding two-to-one lead over Sanders, shellacking the Vermont socialist 51% to 27%,” Zanotti reported. “The chasm is so big that even if all undecided voters swing to Sanders, he won’t make up the difference. And among those who spoke to the Detroit Free Press, only around 11% remain open to switching their vote in the 24 hours ahead of the contest.”
“For Michigan voters, the poll says, health care remains a top concern, but Sanders doesn’t necessarily pick up support for his ‘Medicare for All’ plan, likely because Michigan’s many union members are part of collective bargaining agencies that have fought hard for comprehensive health coverage as part of their benefits packages,” Zanotti continued.
Regardless of what happens on Tuesday, the supposedly “woke” Democrats officially have only two, straight, old white men as prospective nominees.