Cooler but still well above normal this week

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

President Joe Biden is seeing his highest approval ratings in almost a year, while former President Donald Trump, who is hoping to take the job back, is getting his worst scores among potential Republican voters in years, according to the 

The survey — conducted last week, after the president's State of the Union address — of more than 1,300 adults and about 1,200 registered voters comes as the 2024 Republican presidential primary is heating up. And there are clear pictures emerging of who potential Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis voters are, as a majority of potential Republican voters continue to say they would be better off with someone other than Trump at the top of the ticket.

DeSantis, at this point, is at least a co-front-runner for the nomination. His support skews more toward Republicans with college degrees, who make more money and live in cities and suburbs, as opposed to Trump's more blue-collar, rural appeal. Their distinct lanes could make for a protracted GOP primary, if DeSantis ultimately decides to get into the race.

Biden is widely expected to seek reelection despite his age. At 80, he is the oldest person to serve as president. As inflation stretches Americans' wallets and after the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, he has struggled with middling approval ratings.

He bottomed out at 36 percent in July of last year, as independents soured on him, and Democrats were unenthusiastic about his presidency. But Biden has made steady improvement since then, and this month, he is up to 46 percent approval with all respondents and an even higher 49 percent with registered voters.

That's good news for the president. The 46 percent is his highest mark since March of last year, and he hasn't been at 49 percent since the Afghanistan withdrawal in August of 2021. He's benefitting in the survey from a rebound with Democrats, and in this hyper-partisan atmosphere, a president needs his base shored up.

One warning sign, however, is that Biden still is lagging with independents – just 36 percent of them approve of the job he's doing.

For months, Democrats have not been sure that Biden was their best shot at winning in 2024.

Lots of surveys, including Marist's, have shown that members of Biden's own party think he's too old and they'd have a better chance of winning the White House with someone else – although there's been little agreement on who that should be.

Back in November – right before the midterms – 54 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents said they had a better chance with someone else.

That's changed in this survey. Now, 50 percent say they have the best chance with Biden, while 45 percent think the best chance lies with a different candidate.

The biggest shifts are coming from whites without college degrees, those who make less than $50,000 a year, voters under 45 and women who live in small cities or the suburbs. All are key target demographic groups, who helped Biden win in 2020. They're the kinds of voters he peeled away from Trump, who made inroads with these groups in 2016.

Let's start with the fact that these are Democrats and independents who lean Democratic, so they're at least open to Biden's message. But three potential reasons:

Biden's favorability rating with Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents stands at 83 percent favorable, 13 percent unfavorable, or +70.

That's significantly better than Vice President Kamala Harris, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg or Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who the poll also tested.

Things don't look quite as good for Trump, as he faces what's shaping up to be a serious threat to his quest to be the GOP nominee again next year.

By a 54 percent-to-42 percent margin, Republicans and independents who lean their direction said they think they would have a better chance in 2024 with someone other than Trump. That's actually a slight improvement for Trump, considering 35 percent in November said Trump would give them the best chance at winning.

Still, the percentage saying they would be better off with someone else hasn't budged. And there are clear cleavages – voters with college degrees, ones who make more than $50,000 a year and parents with children under 18 are far more likely to say they'd be better off with someone else, by 20 points or more in some cases.

That means a majority of Republicans are looking around for someone else, and the very people who think they have less of a chance with Trump seem to have DeSantis in the sights.

Look at how their favorability ratings among Republicans and Republican leaners divide:

The live caller telephone survey, using cell phones and landlines, of more than 1,300 adults and about 1,200 registered was conducted last week by the 

, well after the president's State of the Union address. Where all adults are referred to, the survey has a margin of error of +/- 3.3 percentage points, meaning results could be about 3 points lower or higher. Where registered voters are referenced, it has a similar +/- 3.5 percentage point margin of error.

There were 570 Democrats and independents who lean Democratic. Where they're referenced, it's a +/- 5.1 percentage point margin. There were 460 Republicans and Republican-leaning independents interviewed. The margin for this subgroup is +/- 5.7 percentage points.

Politics and Government News

Domenico Montanaro

Author

President Joe Biden's approval rating has ticked up, and Democrats are growing more confident in him. Trump, meanwhile, is seeing his lowest scores with Republicans in seven years.

Poll: Biden's standing improves, while Trump slumps with Republican voters

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox