Opinion | Joe Biden is a Vulnerable Incumbent, With or Without Trump on the GOP Ticket – By Douglas Schoen and Carly Cooperman (The Messenger) / Sept 2, 2023
The big question in political circles today is how do we account for the fact that, despite four indictments and not participating in the first Republican debate, Donald Trump is even with — or one point ahead of — Joe Biden, as revealed in recent polling by our firm, Schoen Cooperman Research (SCR).
It’s a question that hasn’t been dealt with in any great detail but which deserves a great deal of attention. Our polling shows that the race continues to be close not purely because of the strength of Trump’s candidacy but, rather, because of Biden’s weaknesses.
Indeed, our polling shows that on virtually every issue tested, a plurality or outright majority disapprove of Biden’s performance. This includes issues that are most important to voters: inflation (-41), jobs & the economy (-6), immigration (-21), gun violence (-19), crime (-17), and healthcare (-11).
