by Eric Lendrum
Former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign, struggling in the weeks since allegations emerged of corruption and abuse of power regarding his son Hunter Biden’s shady business dealings in Ukraine, now finds support among independents evaporating according to a new Investor’s Business Daily/TIPP poll.
The poll found numerous mixed results regarding Americans’ current sentiments towards both President Donald Trump and former Vice President Biden, with Trump ultimately coming out ahead and improving on his performance in the previous poll in September. This poll, in particular, has been noted for its accuracy in the past, as it was one of the only two nationwide polls that correctly predicted President Trump’s victory on election day in 2016 (the other being the USC/Los Angeles Times poll).
While the poll found that 50 percent of Americans report thinking President Trump’s actions with regards to Ukraine are “impeachable,” 46 percent are opposed to impeachment; among independents, 47 percent oppose impeachment against 46 percent who support it.
The poll also found that President Trump’s job approval rating has increased despite the Democrats’ impeachment efforts against him, rising four points from 39 percent to 43 percent, while disapproval dropped from 55 to 54 percent. In the poll’s general election matchup, President Trump has narrowed Biden’s lead over him, which previously stood at 12 points in September (54 to 42), and is now down to just 7 points (51 to 44).
While the numbers for President Trump are rather mixed, Biden took a much greater hit across the board. Although Biden still holds a lead in the general election scenario, his support among independents completely collapsed from an 18-point lead (55 to 37) to a mere one-point lead (46 to 45). There is also much greater support among the general public for a probe into Biden’s wrongdoings than there is for impeachment, with 57 percent in favor to 37 percent against; among independents, it stands at 47 percent in support to 38 percent opposed.
Lastly, the poll found that the Ukraine ordeal has led to about 15 percent of voters declaring themselves more likely to vote for President Trump, with 18 percent more likely to vote against him. For Biden, however, only 8 percent said they were more likely to vote for him, while 23 percent were more likely to vote against him.
It appears that even Biden’s campaign has acknowledged the struggles it currently faces, having recently held a secret meeting with top donors to address the campaign’s sagging poll numbers and fundraising totals, as Senator Elizabeth Warren (D.-Mass.) surges into first place.
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Eric Lendrum graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he was the Secretary of the College Republicans and the founding chairman of the school’s Young Americans for Freedom chapter. He has interned for Young America’s Foundation, the Heritage Foundation, and the White House, and has worked for numerous campaigns including the 2018 re-election of Congressman Devin Nunes (CA-22).
Photo “Joe Biden” by Joe Biden.
