CNN analyst: Biden in trouble, not Democrats

Sarah Fortinsky
·2 min read
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CNN political director David Chalian said Tuesday that although Democrats had a good election night, President Biden could be in trouble heading into the 2024 election.

“Tonight is undoubtedly a good night for the Democrats. There’s no doubt about it,” Chalian said on CNN, later adding, “What we’re seeing tonight is, the Democratic brand is not in trouble here. Joe Biden is in trouble.”

Chalian pointed to the 2023 election results so far — specifically, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s win in Kentucky and to CNN’s new poll — in drawing the distinction between Biden and the rest of the Democratic Party.

The CNN poll asked registered voters whether, in dealing with the nation’s issues, Biden is mostly part of the problem or solution. Nearly all Republicans, 95 percent, said he was part of the problem. Among Democrats, nearly a quarter, 23 percent, said he was part of the problem, compared to 77 percent who said he was part of the solution. Among independents, 67 percent said he was part of the problem.

“A quarter of Democrats say he’s part of the problem,” he said. “I mean, [Democratic Kentucky Gov.] Andy Beshear didn’t win that big without winning a slew of Trump voters also.”

Chalian also pointed to numbers showing voters support a generic Republican at roughly the same level as they would support a generic Democrat: 48 percent for Republicans, 47 percent for Democrats.

“It’s not just issues. You noted, Beshear’s identity is part of this, his political identity. I think what we are seeing tonight is that — and by the way, tonight, guys, builds on a year of successes in special elections. … Builds on last year’s midterm elections, where they overperformed expectations largely on the issues of abortion rights and democracy,” Chalian said.

“So Democrats have been on a run here. And I think when we look at the poll, you see that there is a Biden problem more than there is a Democratic Party problem.”

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