Joe Biden has reportedly become more open in recent days to hearing arguments that he should step aside as the Democratic presidential candidate after the party’s two main congressional leaders told him they doubted his ability to beat Donald Trump.

While continuing to insist he will be the party’s nominee in November, the president has reportedly started asking questions about negative polling data and whether Vice-President Kamala Harris, considered the favourite to replace him if were to withdraw, fares better.

The indications of a possible rethink come after Biden tested positive on Wednesday for Covid-19, forcing him to isolate for several days while curtailing a campaigning visit to Nevada that had been part of a drive to show his candidacy was very much alive.

It also coincides with fresh polling data showing that he now trails Trump by two points in Virginia, a state he won by 10 points in 2020.

  • aseriesoftubes@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    I’m holding out hope for Newsom. The unfortunate truth is that too many Americans are racist and/or sexist, and the combination of those factors could sink Harris (who, it should be said, I would happily vote for).

    There are a lot of people out there who are desperate to vote for someone who isn’t Biden or Trump. The buzz and excitement generated by an entirely new ticket (Newsom-Whitmer?) would blow Trump out of the water.

    My stupid hot take was stupid. I am fully coconut pilled.

  • irotsoma@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    The only way for the Dems to win is either to put a woman up for election and have her push hard for abortion rights and talk about nothing else so her conservative politics don’t push away the majority of non-Republicans, like Hillary did, or put up someone left of center for once and give the people who are tired of voting for the lesser evil a chance to be excited for a candidate. But that’s unlikely.

  • The Snark Urge@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    If Harris was super serious about beating Trump, she couldn’t pick an easier race than a run with Bernie Sanders. Imagine how energized the left would be. Ahh.

    …In other shit that will never happen news, Trump enjoyed a joke at his own expense at a salad bar.

    • jballs@sh.itjust.works
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      5 months ago

      Look, I get that Bernie is beloved and all, but I don’t think replacing an 81 year old on the ticket with an 82 year old is going in the right direction.

    • faust@reddthat.com
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      5 months ago

      I think it would be awesome to watch trump get his ass kicked by ‘that woman from michigan’ while I don’t always agree with Whitmer’s approach, there is a reason she keeps getting reelected in a state that can be heavily Republican leaning. I think she’s a pretty smart cookie but I also haven’t dug into her political history deeply yet. I’d rather her than a few others, but I guess we’ll see how things play out.

      (filter tag: #uspol)

      • ElegantBiscuit@lemm.ee
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        5 months ago

        The midwest has always been pretty centrist at least within living memory, usually split right down the middle. It only ever gave the impression of heavily republican leaning because they’ve been gerrymandered to shit. Wisconsin in particular has been ratfucked by redistricting - both a democratic governor in 2018 and Biden in 2020 won because those are state wide votes, but as of 2022 the state legislature is 66% republican while only having won 53% of the popular vote in that election.