It’s looking better for Biden
As the polls are looking better and better for President Biden, there’s a hidden detail in the new NPR Marist Poll that showed him with a stronger number among likely voters than the popular vote share he got back in 2020 – one that could be important to bear in mind for going into 2024.
Regardless of what the media likes to say is the major issue going into the election, it’s not the ongoingIsraeli-Hamas conflict, it’s not immigration or student loan relief (even though the Biden administration has made important inroads on all three), it’s the rise of fascism and extremism. This ranked as the number one priority among both Democrats and independent voters (who typically form a winning coalition when it comes to elections,) but even drew about 15% of Republicans as well – which might be one of the indications of Trump’s sizable protest vote in each primary.
35% of respondents who also cited fascism as the top concern indicated that they are definitely voting in the upcoming election. This is, of course, one poll, so we can’t really extrapolate too much from reading just one. There are, however, some trends here that seem to match up.
Abortion rights, for example, were a high priority – and access to healthcare has been driving high overperformances in much of the special elections throughout 2022 to the present day, particularly now that sweeping abortion bans have all but eliminated access throughout the American South. The preservation of this fundamental right and of democracy itself are the strongest they’ve ever been – let’s vote to protect both on Nov 5 as we re-elect President Biden and Democrats down the ballot.
James Sullivan is the assistant editor of Brain World Magazine and an advocate of science-based policy making