Six Democratic candidates would best President Donald Trump in potential 2020 matchups, according to a new poll from Quinnipiac University, released on Tuesday.
The poll shows 53 percent of voters say they would support Biden, while 40 percent say they would vote for Trump. The gap is smaller for Sens. Bernie Sanders (9 points, or 51 to 42 percent), Kamala Harris (8 points, or 49 to 41 percent) and Elizabeth Warren (7 points, 49 to 42 percent). Other candidates, like Sen. Cory Booker and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg lead by a five-point margin (5 points, 47 to 42 percent).
“The head-to-head matchups give this heads up to President Donald Trump’s team: Former Vice President Joseph Biden and other Democratic contenders would beat the president if the election were held today. Leads range from Biden’s 13 percentage points to thin five-point leads by Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Cory Booker,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.
The compelling Democratic edge in potential national matchups came despite a slight uptick in Trump’s approval rating and a general satisfaction with the state of the economy.
The poll says 70 percent of American voters say the nation’s economy is “excellent” or “good,” but only 41 percent say Trump deserves credit for a thriving economy. Another 27 percent say Trump does not deserve credit and 28 percent say the economy is “not so good” or “poor.”
On Twitter, many users poked fun at the president, in light of the results. They made comparisons to unpleasant notions, like drinking a gallon of spoiled milk or experiencing a colonoscopy without anesthesia, and attributed higher percentages to those ideas while citing Trump’s 41 percent.
“A very sturdy economy and folks with money in the bank. That’s the magic combo the White House hopes to ride to re-election and those numbers remain solid,” said Malloy. “But Trump does not get that much credit.”
A Fox News poll in mid-May found similar results with regard to the general election. In that poll, Biden leads Trump by 11 points (49 to 38 percent), Sanders leads by 5 percentage points (46 to 41 percent) and Warren by 2 (43 to 41 percent). Harris ties Trump (41 to 41 percent), and Buttigieg follows him by one (40 to 41 percent).
The Quinnipiac poll results come the same day that the House of Representatives passed a resolution, on a vote of 229-191, to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt for failing to comply with congressional subpoenas.
Still, the election is 17 months away, which leaves plenty of time for a reversal of fortunes. As CNBC pointed out, polls leading up to the 2016 general election indicated Hillary Clinton would defeat Trump in the presidential race.
From June 6 – 10, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,214 voters nationwide with a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points. The survey includes 503 Democrats and Democratic leaners with a margin of error of +/- 5.4 percentage points.
Getty/Jim WATSON / AFP
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