Democrat voters rally around Biden, according to new poll

Disdain for Trump is primary driver of support for former vice president

Graig Graziosi
Friday 10 July 2020 18:38 BST
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Biden V Trump: US election opinion polls

A new poll suggests Democrats from across the party are unifying behind Joe Biden, the party’s presumptive candidate heading into the 2020 election.

The poll, released by The New York Times and Siena College, surveyed 3,870 registered voters in six battleground states between 8 June to 18 June. All of the voters surveyed voted in the Democratic primary in their state.

Of voters who supported Elizabeth Warren in the primary, 96 per cent said they planned to support Mr Biden in the general election. The remainder said they would support another candidate, and none of them indicated they would vote for Donald Trump.

Ninety-two per cent of voters who supported Pete Buttigieg said they would support Mr Biden. Three people said they would support Mr Trump, and three said they would support another candidate.

Eighty-seven per cent of those who supported Bernie Sanders – Mr Biden’s top rival during the primaries and the figurehead for the progressive left wing of the Democratic party – said they were supporting Mr Biden in the general. Four said they would vote for Mr Trump, and eight said they planned to vote for another candidate.

Those numbers have not changed much since a similar poll was conducted in the battleground states – Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Florida, Arizona and North Carolina – last October. At that point, supporters of the progressive candidates said by a 89-4 count that they would support Mr Biden over Mr Trump. Today, that spread is 89-3.

Only 81 per cent of Mike Bloomberg supporters and 82 per cent of Amy Klobuchar backers said they would vote for Mr Biden in November.

The rallying around Mr Biden is not necessarily indicative of overall Democratic enthusiasm for the candidate, however.

Only 21 per cent of Mr Sanders’ supporters and 40 per cent of Ms Warren’s said they were excited for Mr Biden’s candidacy. Most said their votes for Mr Biden were votes against Mr Trump.

Mr Sanders endorsed Mr Biden in April and asked his supporters to rally behind the presumptive candidate.

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