Former President Donald Trump, a Republican nominee, got some positive news from progressive pollsters on Wednesday. A new survey by Data for Progress, a progressive think tank, showed that last month’s presidential debate made many swing voters worry less about Trump’s legal troubles.
According to the poll, after the debate, only 37 percent of swing voters were more worried about Trump’s legal issues compared to President Joe Biden’s age and health. This is down from 48 percent before the debate.
Meanwhile, concerns about Biden’s mental fitness increased by 12 percentage points, from 41 percent to 53 percent before and after the debate.
The change in swing voters’ concerns is more significant than among all likely voters. After the debate, only 1 percent of voters became less worried about Trump’s age, while 2 percent became more worried about Biden’s age.
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Danielle Deiseroth, executive director of Data for Progress, told Newsweek, “Between our first and second survey of swing voters, Trump was found guilty on 34 felony charges, and Biden gave a poor debate performance.
While initially more worried about Trump’s criminal charges, swing voters are now more concerned about Biden’s age. This polling raises serious concerns about Biden’s campaign’s ability to focus this election on Trump’s character.”
The survey was conducted from July 12 to 14 among 1,246 likely voters, with a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points.
Although the poll was taken before an assassination attempt on Trump, the results still highlight challenges for Biden in winning back swing voters. The poll released on Wednesday also brought more bad news for Biden.
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Twice as many swing voters (37 percent) think Trump is better suited to run the country than Biden (15 percent), and most say Biden should drop out of the race entirely.
Only 14 percent want Biden to stay as the Democratic nominee, while 57 percent say he should step down and let the party choose a new candidate at a convention. Eighteen percent believe Vice President Kamala Harris should replace Biden.
Among swing voters, 34 percent are unsure who should replace Biden as the Democratic nominee, but Harris is the most popular choice with 23 percent support.
California Governor Gavin Newsom is second with 9 percent support, followed by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, each with 7 percent support.
Following his poor debate performance, Biden has faced calls from Democrats to step down as the party’s nominee, though he insists on staying in the race. Representative Adam Schiff, running for the Senate, became the most prominent Democrat to suggest Biden step aside.
He told the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday that he has “serious concerns” about Biden’s ability to defeat Trump in November. Schiff said he would support the Democratic ticket even if Biden remained the nominee but believes it would be better if Biden “passed the torch.”
