Joe Biden may have entered the 2020 Democratic primary race as the frontrunner, but it seems that distinction is fading fast.
According to the Washington Examiner, the former vice president acknowledged in a recent call with donors that his lead over the 2020 primary field is slipping — and fast.
Shrugging it off
According to a pool report on the teleconference cited by the Examiner, a New York donor named Mark Stutzman asked Biden how he would be able to convince primary voters that he is both progressive enough to win over the Dems’ far-left base and centrist enough to keep the support of more moderate and independent voters, who will be crucial for him — or any other Democrat — in the race against President Donald Trump.
In response, Biden offered up a jumbled word salad that included an attempt at comedy and some dubious claims about his current standing in the 2020 field.
“Well, I think what’s starting to happen, is the press is now starting to, I think it’s fair to say, I’m not complaining and it’s just a reality, that the press has spent an awful lot of time the last five months, challenging me,” Biden said. “Going after me.”
Now, with other Democrats climbing the ranks, Biden says he hopes the bad press will back off.
“And now I think you see that change, now that other candidates have risen. Although we are still above 30% in the national polls, in almost every one,” the 76-year-old noted.
He went on: “I think you’re going to see more focus on the reality, and in the efficacy, and the straightforwardness of the plans being put together by other candidates. And I think we’re now going to get into a comparative notion of who’s for what and what can get done.”
A tight race
The Examiner noted that as recently as just a few weeks ago, Biden was continuing to brag about being the Democrats’ frontrunner. But the RealClearPolitics average of polls shows that Biden’s once-comfortable lead over the other candidates is largely a thing of the past — especially with the recent surge in support for Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
Overall, the RealClearPolitics average still showed Biden in first place with the support of 28.6% of poll respondents, but Warren now follows closely with 21.4% support. (Rounding out the top three was Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who saw 18.1% support.)
Meanwhile, individual polls from sources like Monmouth and Economist/YouGov showed Biden and Warren neck-and-neck; the Monmouth poll saw Biden and Warren tied at 23% support, with Sanders close on their heels at 20%, and the Economist/YouGov poll had Biden leading Warren by just one point.
These polls directly call into question Biden’s claim that he’s still polling about 30% nationally — but that’s not the only problem the Biden campaign is having. According to The Guardian, Biden’s fundraising slumped significantly in the third quarter; following the latest Democratic primary debate in mid-October, Biden’s campaign had only $8.9 million on hand, while Warren had $25.7 million and Sanders had a whopping $33.7 million.
Of course, all of this pales in comparison to Trump and the GOP, who had $83 million on hand for the president’s re-election campaign after the third quarter, according to the Examiner.
Indeed, the race may not be over, but the trends certainly don’t look good for Biden. Unless he can recover from this slip in the polls and in donations, he might as well just throw in the towel.
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