During a confidential discussion, Hillary Clinton advised President Joe Biden to acknowledge the potential impact of a third-party contender, given his current record-breaking disapproval ratings and his trailing position behind former President Donald Trump in some polls.
According to a report by NBC News on Monday, Hillary Clinton sent the aforementioned cautionary message to the president during her visit to the White House for the Praemium Imperiale Laureate ceremony, which took place earlier this month in the presence of first lady Jill Biden.
Hillary Clinton’s aspirations of occupying the White House were thwarted when she was defeated by Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. Several of Clinton’s supporters saw Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate, as a disruptive factor in the election outcome.
Their fears are substantiated by polling data.
According to a recent poll conducted by ABC News and the Washington Post, Joe Biden behind Donald Trump by a margin of 10 percentage points in a two-way contest among registered voters. Specifically, Biden garners 42 percent of the support, while Trump secures 52 percent.
The nationwide poll conducted by NBC’s News presents a relatively more favorable outlook for Biden, albeit with several qualifications.
When only two candidates, namely him and Trump, are considered, he garners an equal level of support at 46 percent.
However, the study demonstrates the potential negative impact that a third-party candidate could have.
When considering the inclusion of third-party alternatives, Biden’s support decreases to 36 percent, while Trump’s support increases to 39 percent.
According to the poll, in the given scenario, a libertarian candidate would secure the support of 5 percent of the electorate, a candidate affiliated with the No Labels movement would divert 5 percent of the electorate, and a candidate representing the Green Party would garner the backing of 4 percent of the electorate.
When surveying participants, pollsters refrained from mentioning West’s name when inquiring about their preference for a candidate from the Green Party.
During an interview with The Atlantic in July, West refuted the claim that he was positioned to become a disruptive element.
‘I would say that most of the people who vote for me would not have voted for Biden,’ he asserted. ‘They would have probably stayed home.’
Another aspect of worry within the Biden administration is the indication from polling data that the Democratic electorate is desirous of a wider range of options as they approach the 2024 election.
According to the ABC News poll, a majority of Democratic-leaning people, namely 62 percent, express a preference for an alternative candidate to run instead of Biden.
According to the NBC News poll, a majority of 59 percent of Democratic primary voters expressed their desire for a Democratic primary fight against Biden in the upcoming year.
Only 36 percent of respondents expressed a preference for Biden, who is 80 years old, without facing any opposition.
In contrast, preceding the 2020 election, a mere 37 percent of Republican primary voters expressed a desire for Trump to face opposition, whilst 59 percent of GOP primary voters shown contentment with his selection as the party’s candidate.
Biden has garnered the attention of two contenders, both of whom lack prior governmental experience.
Marianne Williamson, a renowned figure in the self-help industry, has announced her candidacy as a member of the Democratic Party. Similarly, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known for his notable skepticism towards vaccines, has also aligned himself with the Democratic Party, garnering more support among conservative factions rather than the mainstream Democratic electorate.
According to recent polling data, the current president maintains a substantial advantage over both Kennedy, with a margin of over 50 points, and Williamson, with a margin of approximately 60 points.
Hence, the Democratic supporters of the president exhibit greater concern regarding the potential emergence of a third-party challenge during the general election.
According to a Biden confidant interviewed by NBC News, ‘With a tight election, every vote counts.’
‘Is it in the back of many people’s brains? Absolutely. Do we have to be careful as we move out? Yes, we do,’ the source went on.
According to another source, President Biden himself has expressed concerns on the matter.
In an interview released on Monday, Representative Dean Phillips, a Democrat from Minnesota, expressed his openness to the possibility of running against President Joe Biden in the 2024 election. Phillips cited worries regarding the electability of the current president and the absence of primary competitors as factors influencing his consideration.
Phillips has been in discussions with Democratic benefactors who are actively seeking an alternative to Biden, and has emerged as one of the most outspoken Democratic detractors of the president’s campaign for reelection. Despite Phillips’ apparent reluctance to confront Biden during an interview with the Minneapolis Star Tribune in late August, the congressman expressed to podcaster Steve Schmidt that he is currently “thinking about it.”
“It’s important for Democracy to have choices, to have competition, particularly in light of what I’m reading — the polling, the data — and what I’m sensing in my own intuition. And I’m concerned,” explained Phillips. “I’m concerned that there is no alternative. I’m concerned that something could happen between now and next November that would make the Democratic Convention in Chicago an unmitigated disaster. And for a party that is acting as the adults in the room, thank goodness, I’m concerned that we are not as it relates to our electoral strategy. So I’m considering it.”
Source: Daily Mail
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