By Jarrett Renshaw
Andrea Singmaster in a Philadelphia suburb is grateful for President Joe Biden’s efforts to secure funding for the cleanup of a contaminated site. His work to lower Medicare drug prices will also positively impact her family members dealing with arthritis and Crohn’s disease.
However, Singmaster is hesitant about Biden running for his reelection at the age of 81.
As a dedicated Democrat who voted for Biden in 2020, Singmaster hopes for different candidates to emerge in the 2024 election, including Democratic longshot Dean Phillips or a more appealing Republican than Donald Trump.
“I love Joe Biden. He’s great, you know, but he’s an old dude and I am really frustrated with our lack of choices and wish I could just run away,” the 50-year-old Singmaster said.
The contrast between the popularity of the Biden agenda and the unpopularity of Biden himself, even among some party loyalists, raises concerns for Democrats heading into 2024.
Biden’s legislative victories include popular items like allowing the federal government to negotiate Medicare drug prices, capping insulin costs, boosting infrastructure investment, and addressing climate change.
Amid Biden’s efforts to promote his policies during an “Investing In America” tour over the summer, his approval rating has been stuck around 40%, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, illustrating deep-rooted unpopularity.
“All I know is what I see in the polls and there are huge majorities of people in this country who think that the president is too old and I don’t know if they are able to look beyond that and see, you know, the increase in manufacturing jobs and other aspects,” Democratic political strategist James Carville said. “Thus far, they have not.”
Biden’s unpopularity is mirrored by Trump’s lack of popularity, with both facing unfavorable views from the public.
As the 2024 election approaches, the Biden campaign is focusing on appealing to voters to “finish the job” and amplifying winning issues from past campaigns to mobilize the base and sway undecided voters.
Despite the downward trend in enthusiasm, the Biden campaign believes wary voters will ultimately support him when faced with the choice between Biden and Trump.
Vice President Kamala Harris also emphasized the disconnect between Biden and his policies, urging the campaign to highlight the accomplishments while dispelling negative sentiments.
(Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Heather Timmons and Rod Nickel)
