Democrats across the country have reacted positively to Biden stepping down as the party’s nominee, with many believing it improves his chances of beating President Donald Trump in November’s presidential election, while overwhelming majorities say Biden’s record will be great or good.
Of course, not all voters are political strategists, but from this they estimate the potential of political parties as follows:
About three in 10 of them said it depends on who the nominee is, but far more said they now have a better chance of beating Trump.
And those who say their chances of winning have improved are more likely to support Biden’s decision to drop out of the race.
While both male and female Democratic supporters overall believe their party’s chances of winning have improved, Democratic men are particularly likely to say so.
White Democrats are more likely than Black Democrats to support Biden stepping down, and white Democrats are also more likely to say their party’s chances of winning have increased.
What’s next for the Democratic Party?
Most Democrats would nominate Vice President Kamala Harris as their candidate at this point. Since there is no official candidate to run against Harris, the only options presented are to nominate Harris as the candidate or to nominate a general “someone else,” and about 80% of Democrats would support Harris.
Similar majorities of people, whether male or female, young or old, white, black or Hispanic, have voiced their support for Harris.
Ideology makes some difference: Liberal Democrats are even more likely to say so than moderate Democrats.
As for timing, a majority want the party to choose a candidate now, but four in 10 would wait until the party convention.
Looking back at Biden
Two-thirds of Democrats feel Biden was treated fairly by party leaders in making the decision.
Democrats have an overwhelmingly positive view of Biden’s record, with most believing people will look back on it as great or even good.
While differences in motivation played a large role in the race, four in 10 Democrats say Biden’s departure makes them more motivated to vote. But that’s a first impression. In the coming weeks, that sentiment could prove decisive for the Democratic Party’s fate, as Trump held the lead until the weekend. Previous polls had him already leading Harris in a hypothetical matchup..
This CBS News/YouGov poll is based on a national sample of 1,071 registered voters who self-identify as Democrats and were interviewed July 21-22, 2024. All respondents participated in previous national surveys of registered voters conducted July 11-13 and July 16-18, 2024. The sample is weighted by gender, age, race, and education and to account for differing response rates based on the U.S. Census American Community Survey, U.S. Census Current Population Survey, and the 2020 presidential election vote. The overall sample has a margin of error of ±3.4 percentage points.
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