Parties struggle to pick a presidential frontrunner
WASHINGTON — While President Joe Biden and his predecessor, Donald Trump, are preparing for a possible rematch in 2024, a new poll finds a notable lack of enthusiasm within the parties for either man.
About a third of both Democrats and Republicans are unsure of who they want leading their party, according to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
No one Democrat captures significant support when asked who qualifies as the party’s leader; instead, Democrats sprinkle their attention across more than a dozen politicians. Yet they feel more hopeful than dejected about their party. Some Republicans, meanwhile, coalesce around a few individuals — Trump included. But a majority remain uncommitted to him despite his grip on the party, and Republicans have grown more pessimistic about the GOP’s future.
The findings reflect a deep sense of uncertainty about the future of the nation’s political parties and the challenges both face in tethering their frayed — and perhaps disenchanted — coalitions.
For Democrats, it’s another warning sign about the depth of Biden’s support amid concerns about nominating someone who would be 86 at the end of a second term.
“He’s certainly at an age where he’s not going to run for office, he’s gonna walk,” said David Townsend, a 58-year-old veteran services manager in Indianapolis who leans Democratic.
Townsend said he would support Biden if he were the nominee, but he wants a new voice to lead with vigor and energy. He suggests Biden could have a role in shaping the future.
“He needs to be on the lookout for a standardbearer, someone that could carry his message forward,” Townsend said.
Despite his status as an incumbent president who has accomplished many of the party’s longsought priorities, fewer than half of Democrats — 41% — identify Biden as the current leader of the party in an openended question. Just 12% said they want Biden in the role.