Clinton, Harris hold slight leads over Trump, while Biden trails: Survey
Both Vice President Kamala Harris and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ran ahead of former President Trump in a new survey from a Democratic pollster, while President Biden trailed slightly behind.
According to a new poll from Bendixen & Amandi Inc., a top Democratic pollster, Harris edged out Trump by 1 point, 42 percent to 41 percent, while 5 percent of voters picked a third-party candidate and 12 percent were undecided.
Biden, meanwhile, fell 1 point behind the former president, 42 percent to 43 percent, according to the poll, obtained Tuesday by The Hill. Five percent of voters chose a third-party candidate and 10 percent said they were undecided.
The finding is the latest sign of concern for Biden, who is facing increased pressure within his own party to step aside from the 2024 race following a disastrous debate showing last month.
Biden has maintained he intends to stay in the race. On Monday, he again rejected calls to drop out in a letter to congressional Democrats, urging them to unite behind his candidacy.
Harris's name has been repeatedly floated as a potential replacement for Biden should he choose to exit the race, though she made clear last week she supports Biden’s continued bid for a second term.
Clinton, who lost to Trump in the 2016 election, polled 2 points ahead of the former president, while 6 percent went to a third-party candidate and 10 percent were undecided, Bendixen & Amandi Inc noted.
Other Democrats whose names have been floated as potential replacements for Biden fared worse than Trump in hypothetical matchups, pollsters found. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer trailed Trump by 4 points — 36 percent to 40 percent — while California Gov. Gavin Newsom fell behind by 3 points — 37 percent to 40 percent.
More voters were undecided in these two match-up scenarios, 17 percent were undecided in Whitmer's while 15 percent were undecided in Newsom's case.
Of the 1,000 voters polled, 86 percent said they watched the debate in some form, whether it was watching directly or seeing clips afterward. Over half — or 61 percent — said they do not think Biden has the mental capacity and physical stamina to serve another four years, while 29 percent said he does and 10 percent said they don't know or did not answer.
Fifty-two percent said Biden should not continue his reelection bid, while 33 percent said he should and 15 percent did not know or did not answer.
The nationwide survey was conducted among 1,000 registered voters from July 2-6. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
Fernand Amandi, principal at Bendixen & Amandi International, is a Democratic pollster who produced a Spanish ad for Clinton in the 2008 primary. His firm advised former President Barack Obama in his two presidential campaigns.