{ Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) said Sunday he wants President Biden to stand down on his 2024 Democratic presidential primary bid to give another Democrat a shot at the White House.

Why it matters: Phillips has previously called on others to challenge Biden in the 2024 Democratic nomination but is not committing himself to running as of yet.

  • “I would like to see Joe Biden, a wonderful and remarkable man, pass the torch — cement this extraordinary legacy,” Phillips said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday.
  • “And by the way, this is not how everybody thinks, but I do believe the majority wants to move on,” he added.
  • Phillips said his views on Biden stepping down are not based on the president’s age but rather “how people feel.”

By the numbers: 56% of U.S. adults said they had an unfavorable opinion of Biden, compared to just 32% of those with favoring opinions on the president, according to a CNN poll in June.

  • Prospective voters in the CNN poll also had an unfavorable view of former President Donald Trump at 59%.
  • An April poll from NBC News revealed that 70% of Americans think Biden should not seek another term. Of those responses, 51% came from Democrats.
  • 60% of those polled by NBC also thought Trump shouldn’t run for president again. Of those, a third identified themselves as Republican voters.
  • “Joe Biden right now is down seven points in the four swing states that will decide the next election,” said Phillips, who also pointed to Biden’s historically low approval numbers.
  • Phillips added that he’s not saying Biden is “not up to a second term,” but that the numbers reflect that Americans want change and a new Democratic candidate. }
  • davidgro@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I’m just not seeing the problem with having a real battle of a primary and the chance for a decent candidate to emerge on top for the general. I’m really not.
    You say money, but I’m sure a lot of people are more likely to donate for someone they like in both the primary and then the general (even if that’s different candidates)