Biden's 2024 challengers react to new poll that shows him losing to Trump in key battleground states

Washington DC - Incumbent President Joe Biden's reelection campaign looks to be in trouble according to new polling that pits him unfavorably against ex-president Donald Trump in key battleground states.

Incumbent President Joe Biden (r.) will have his work cut out for him to defeat Donald Trump in several key battleground states in 2024, according to a new poll.
Incumbent President Joe Biden (r.) will have his work cut out for him to defeat Donald Trump in several key battleground states in 2024, according to a new poll.  © BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, SERGIO FLORES / AFP

A New York Times/Siena College poll, published on Sunday, surveyed voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, and found that in all but Wisconsin, Trump leads Biden by an average of 48% to 44%.

Additional results shared on Monday showed Trump's support in those key states could drop by around 6% if he is convicted in the multiple criminal trials against him.

The polling data comes as doubts grow about the 81-year-old president's age and mental fitness for office – fears the White House has tried to dismiss.

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Meanwhile, young and progressive voters and voters of color have expressed frustration over Biden's track record on a host of issues, ranging from his damaging climate policy to his full-throated support for Israel amid the ongoing bombardment of Gaza.

Biden's campaign team has sought to reassure supporters that there is a long way to go until 2024 and that polls are often proven wrong in electoral contests. Nevertheless, the results are sure to spark concerns from within the Democratic establishment with just one year to go before Election Day.

Biden's challengers react to new poll

Clockwise from top left: 2024 contenders Marianne Williamson, Cornel West, Dean Phillips, and Cenk Uygur have all issued statements on social media after the release of the New York Times/Siena College poll.
Clockwise from top left: 2024 contenders Marianne Williamson, Cornel West, Dean Phillips, and Cenk Uygur have all issued statements on social media after the release of the New York Times/Siena College poll.  © Collage: MARK RALSTON / AFP, ZACH GIBSON / AFP, Joshua Blanchard / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP & GAELEN MORSE / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP

Already, the president's opponents are using the new data to challenge his electability in 2024.

Biden's top Democratic primary challenger Marianne Williamson responded to the poll with a simple X post: "He won't win. But I will."

Meanwhile, Minnesota Representative Dean Phillips, who announced his Democratic candidacy last month, wrote, "I could offer no statement more powerful than the one made by suffering Americans in today's NY Times poll."

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Marjorie Taylor Greene Marjorie Taylor Greene repeats claim that Democrats are "pedophiles" over Biden's clemency grant

"Now everyone is on notice that Biden is definitely going to lose," said Cenk Uygur, another Democratic candidate seeking the executive office. "These numbers are atrocious and unrecoverable. It doesn't matter how much you lie to yourself, it's not going to change the fact that this is a guaranteed loss for Democrats."

Independent candidate Cornel West wrote, "POTUS doesn't need me to 'spoil' his re-election bid. His milquetoast, neoliberal agenda leading us to war, climate calamity, and more poverty is doing that for him."

"It's time to break the derelict duopoly into tiny little pieces and engender a new U.S. polity rooted in truth, justice, and love," West added.

Cover photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, SERGIO FLORES / AFP

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