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A 2024 rematch between President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump is not wanted by the majority of Democrats and Republicans, according to new polling.
Approximately 62 percent of Republican conservative-leaning independents surveyed in the CNN/SSRS poll said they wanted their party to nominate someone other than Trump. Among Democrats and liberal-leaning independents, 59 percent said the same about Biden.
When push comes to shove, however, respondents of both political affiliations said they would support their prospective nominee if they were at the top of the ticket. About eight in 10 Republicans would support Trump in that scenario, and about 86 percent of Democrats or independents leaning left would support Biden.
Around 42 percent of respondents also expressed a favorable opinion of Biden, compared to 31 percent for Trump. It is Trump's lowest recorded favorability since a CNN/SSRS poll conducted between March 17-20, 2016.
The poll surveyed 1,208 respondents via web and telephone between December 1 and 7.
Trump's largest drops of support between January and the present come among Republican voters aged 65 years or older (from 55 percent to 37 percent), white voters with college degrees (31 percent to 16 percent), and those described as "very conservative" (65 percent to 45 percent).
While 62 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents said they wanted a candidate different than Trump, a total of 38 percent of them specifically mentioned Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as their preferred candidate.
No other Republican, including Senators Mitt Romney and Ted Cruz and former Vice President Mike Pence, received more than 1 percent of support.
That aligns with a USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll published Tuesday that showed DeSantis leading Trump, 56 percent to 33 percent, among Republican voters and independents who identify as either conservative or very conservative.
Biden, who has not yet made an official announcement regarding his 2024 intentions, thus far faces no Democratic competition in regards to a primary challenge.
A poll conducted on Newsweek's behalf by Redfield & Wilton Strategies found that 58 percent of eligible voters don't believe Biden should run again, with 42 percent citing his age as the biggest hesitation.
Biden, the first octogenarian president will be 81 at the time of the next presidential election.
Names that have been floated to pose a potential challenge to the sitting president include Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker, and California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Among the 72 percent of CNN/SSRS poll respondents who don't want Biden to run again, 28 percent provided a specific candidate they would rather take the reins. Buttigieg received 5 percent of support, followed by Newsom, Sanders, Harris and Warren.
Johanna Maska, an official in former President Barack Obama's administration who also worked alongside Biden, said in a recent podcast appearance that the Democratic Party needs "new leadership."
White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain said recently that Biden will likely make a decision after the holidays, adding that he expects a reelection campaign to be the outcome.
Newsweek reached out to the White House and Trump officials for comment.
About the writer
Nick Mordowanec is a Newsweek investigative reporter based in Michigan. His focus includes U.S. and international politics and policies, immigration, ... Read more