Most people think Biden should not run for reelection in 2024

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The public continues to be largely opposed to President Biden seeking reelection, including most Democrats. Few adults have a great deal of confidence in Biden’s ability to handle various aspects of his job, including managing government spending, accomplishing policy goals, or working effectively with either Congressional Republicans or Democrats.

In January 2022, 48% of Democrats wanted the president to run for a second term, and in October, 52% of them said Biden should run for reelection. But in the latest poll, support for his reelection among Democrats dropped to 37%.

Overall, just one in five adults want to see him run for president in 2024, a slight decrease from the AP-NORC surveys in October and January 2022. Younger adults are less likely than older ones to favor Biden seeking a second term. CONTINUED

AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research

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Can any Republican beat Trump or DeSantis in 2024?

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Polls show the 2024 Republican primary is a contest between former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and everybody else. The “everybody else” group includes candidates such as former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, who look like they’re itching to get into the race despite only polling in the single digits.

But if Trump and DeSantis are the front-runners, what is the chance one of these single-digits candidates (e.g., Haley or former Vice President Mike Pence) can actually win the nomination? It’s not nothing, but the odds clearly favor either Trump or DeSantis becoming the 2024 GOP nominee. CONTINUED

Harry Enten, CNN

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Partisan divide over education goes beyond Critical Race Theory

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This week the College Board announced it was revising the curriculum of its new Advanced Placement African American Studies course, removing elements around Black writers associated with Critical Race Theory as well as content relating to Black LGBTQ issues and Black feminism. It also added “Black conservatism” as an idea for a research project.

The changes were hailed as a victory by Republicans including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — who recently announced plans to ban the old version of the course in his state because he said it had a “woke” agenda and leaned heavily on critical race theory.

The news was just the latest flare-up in the partisan fight over how race is taught in K-12 schools and college classrooms. Beneath the fights over critical race theory, however, are deeper partisan divides on how Democrats and Republicans feel about education in America. Polling data suggest Republicans, in particular, have developed a sour view of public schools and college in general. CONTINUED

Dante Chinni, NBC News

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Most Americans think changes to policing are necessary

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Amid renewed discussion of police procedures, large bipartisan majorities believe at least some changes are necessary. Partisans do differ on the extent of change needed and the urgency of police reform generally: Democrats say major changes are needed; Republicans say minor ones would suffice. Democrats consider police reform a high priority; Republicans, less so.

As has long been the case, race shapes people’s views of both how their local police make them personally feel and how they perceive the way police treat White people and Black people. CONTINUED

CBS News

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Views of U.S. economy improve but remain low; debt ceiling uncertainty looms

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Views of the nation’s economy have ticked back up — though they remain a long way from good. And amid mixed economic messages and reports, there’s little consensus among Americans on which way the economy is headed from here. In another sign of uncertainty as debt ceiling talks continue, Americans’ views on the debt limit are tied to how likely they think an economic downturn is if it isn’t raised.

The uptick in economic views puts them back a bit above where they started 2023, varying a bit perhaps in another sign of collective uncertainty. Alongside that, President Biden’s overall job approval now heading into his State of the Union address Tuesday is at 45%. …

Views on raising the debt ceiling start off negative in principle, but if people are faced with the prospect of a U.S. default, a big majority would end up saying, “raise it.” CONTINUED

CBS News

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Few Americans are excited about a Biden-Trump rematch, Post-ABC poll finds

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President Biden and former president Donald Trump may have each drawn a record number of votes in 2020, but at this early stage in the 2024 election cycle, Americans show little enthusiasm for a rematch between the two well-known yet unpopular leaders, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll. Neither Biden nor Trump generate broad excitement within their own party, and most Americans overall say they would feel dissatisfied or angry if either wins the general election. …

In a hypothetical matchup between Biden and Trump, 48 percent of registered voters today say they would favor Trump to 45 percent who say Biden, a gap within the poll’s margin of error. About 9 in 10 Democrats back Biden and about the same share of Republicans back Trump. Among independents, 50 percent favor Trump to 41 percent for Biden. CONTINUED

Dan Balz & Emily Guskin, Washington Post

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