A recent YouGov poll conducted after the presidential debate has sparked debate among Americans about the future of the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate. When asked who they thought the party should nominate to have the best chance of winning, 49% of respondents opted for “someone else”, while only 30% chose current President Joe Biden, and 22% remained undecided.
The same survey also polled opinions on the Republican Party’s candidate, with 44% of respondents supporting former President Donald Trump, 38% choosing “someone else”, and 18% unsure. The survey gathered responses from 2,648 American adults.
Meanwhile, a Harvard CAPS/Harris poll has revealed that 72% of respondents have already made up their minds about who to vote for in the presidential election, a 3% increase from May. However, 28% of respondents are still undecided.
Broken down by political party, the survey found that 39% of Democrats and 54% of Republicans watched the debate in full, while 31% of Democrats and 26% of Republicans watched some of it or clips online. Only 13% of Democrats and 9% of Republicans did not watch or hear about the debate.
The Harvard CAPS-Harris poll also found that 74% of Republicans and 11% of Democrats believed the debate made them more likely to vote for Trump, while 48% of Democrats and 4% of Republicans said it made them less likely to vote for Trump. Additionally, 67% of Republicans said the debate made them less likely to vote for Biden, with only 17% of Democrats sharing the same sentiment.
The survey was conducted from June 28 to 30 and gathered responses from 2,090 registered voters.
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) has called on Biden to withdraw from the race, citing concerns that a Trump victory would be too high a risk. “Too much is at stake to risk a Trump victory,” he wrote. “President Biden saved our democracy by delivering us from Trump in 2020. He must not deliver us to Trump in 2024.”