Just when Americans thought it may be safe to go back to the voting booth next year, a new poll indicates voters could be in for a rematch — of the 2016 election.
A survey taken last week by The Harris Poll and the Center for American Political Studies at Harvard University revealed that Hillary Clinton has emerged as a favorite among Democrats as the party’s 2024 nominee, if President Joe Biden is out.
On the Republican side, the results are not surprising.
The Harvard-Harris poll found that former President Donald Trump is the first choice for the Republican nomination by 67% of GOP voters. Overall, 65% of all voters believe Trump will be the nominee. That was up from 60% in October.
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And despite Trump’s legal problems, a whopping 89% of pro-Trump primary voters say they would vote for the former president even if he is convicted of a crime.
On the Democratic side, the poll indicated Biden has major problems with voters and that Clinton could be a viable option for Democrats if he exits the race.
The Harvard-Harris poll found that 58% of voters believe Biden currently lacks the mental fitness to be president. Another 66% believe he is showing that he is too old for the job, and just 28% say Biden’s condition is actually improving the longer he stays in office.
Overall, 59% of all respondents said Biden should not run for a second term.
But if Biden does bow out, a sizeable number of Democratic voters say they would want Clinton in 2024.
Among Democrats, Vice President Kamala Harris leads the pack on who should be the nominee if Biden is out. She is the choice of 24% of respondents.
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Clinton places second at 13%, followed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders at 10% and California Gov. Gavin Newsom at just 7%.
One problem for Harris, though, is that she is practically tied with Clinton in terms of favorability. The survey found that 45% hold a favorable view of Harris, compared to 44% for Clinton.
Another problem for the VP is that Trump crushes her in a head-to-head matchup. In that case, Trump, who holds a 7-point edge over Biden, would thump Harris 52-40.
The poll did not ask about a hypothetical rematch between Trump and Clinton.
Clinton repeatedly said in 2022 that she would not run for president again.
But the Harvard-Harris poll is at least the second one this year that shows she would be the second choice of Democrats if Biden falters. As The Hill reported in February, a different pollster found Harris was the first choice by 32% of Democratic voters, compared to 20% for Clinton.
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