Joe Biden has a larger lead over Donald Trump than Hillary Clinton did at this point in 2016. But Democrats have seen a lead slip away before.
Their standard-bearer builds a sizable lead in the race for president against Donald Trump. Everything seems pointed in their direction. Pundits start talking about a Democratic victory like it’s inevitable. Still licking their wounds four years after Hillary Clinton’s stinging loss, Democrats are grappling with heightened expectations that didn’t seem possible at the start of the year.
"That memory can't be erased," said Luis Heredia, executive director of the Arizona Education Association, the state's teachers union, and a Democratic National Committee member. He recalled watching swing states like Pennsylvania and Michigan quickly collapse for Democrats on election night. “That memory is still very fresh, especially for me.”
More: Trump denies knowing about intelligence report that Russia put bounty on U.S. troops serving in Afghanistan He said Democrats “can’t take their foot off the gas even for a second” by buying too much into the polls, noting that Clinton led Trump by as many as 15 percentage points in Wisconsin following the Democratic National Convention in August 2016. Trump ended up winning Wisconsin less than 1 percentage point.
Democratic leaders in these states say they began rebuilding campaign infrastructure quickly after their 2016 defeats in preparation for 2020. Rick Bloomingdale, president of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO and a DNC committee member, said Biden’s strong numbers show that workers are worried about the economy, the pandemic and “they’re seeing no leadership from Washington, D.C.”
“We know that Trump is targeting Wisconsin as an absolute-must state for re-election,” Wikler said. “For us that means we have to fight for every vote and we’re investing accordingly.” Fifty percent of voters surveyed said they find Biden honest and trustworthy, compared to just 30% for Trump. Six weeks before the 2016 election, it was Trump leading the trustworthy question. A Washington Post/ABC poll found only 33% of voters found Clinton honest and trustworthy, but Trump trusted by 42%.
Giving Biden a boost, however, he leads overwhelmingly among voters not enthusiastic about either candidate. “That’s right now taking its toll on the Trump campaign,” Paleologos said. He slammed Biden for not denouncing the recent tear-downs of monuments, called him a “disaster” on the economy, talked extensively about U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, questioned Biden’s ties to China, and argued the Obama-Biden administration’s handling of the H1N1 pandemic left Trump with a shortage of N95 masks. He accused Biden of using COVID-19 as a “political weapon in a cynical attempt” to undermine public confidence.
Political experience tends to be a liability in campaigns, Mook said, but it’s viewed as a strength for Biden during the pandemic. “I think Hillary kind of got the opposite end of that." He predicted the race would tighten up as voters, as they historically do, "go home to their parties," but not if Trump can't"get his act together."
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Democrats, Biden look to accelerate Southern political shiftFrom Mississippi retiring its state flag to local governments removing Confederate statues, a bipartisan push across the South is chipping away at reminders of the Civil War and segregation.
Read more »
Democrats, Biden look to accelerate Southern political shiftDemocratic Party leaders are hoping the current national reckoning on race that is sweeping away many reminders of the Civil War also translates into a fundamental shift at the ballot box in the South.
Read more »
‘Grim resolve’: With Biden up big and the Senate in sight, Democrats still haunted by fear of letdownIn interviews with DNC members from six battleground states, including state party leaders, each came back to an old campaign cliché: “Take nothing for granted.”
Read more »
‘Grim resolve’: With Biden up big and the Senate in sight, Democrats still haunted by fear of letdownJoe Biden has a larger lead over Donald Trump than Hillary Clinton did at this point in 2016. But Democrats have seen a lead slip away before.
Read more »
Biden focuses on racial justice in July 4 message“We have a chance to rip the roots of systemic racism out of this country,” Biden says in the Independence Day video shared with POLITICO.
Read more »
Fact check: Biden lambasts the President on coronavirus responseHours after the June jobs report -- which announced an increase of 4.8 million jobs -- was released Thursday morning, former Vice President Joe Biden gave a speech lambasting President Donald Trump over his response to the coronavirus.
Read more »