As two-time Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton tries to elbow her way into the 2024 race, voters appear to be pushing back just as hard.
With near-daily tweets, book talks, and her MasterClass appearance, Clinton has been reminding voters she is ready to step in and run in 2024 if President Joe Biden bows out.
She has drawn so much attention to herself, the pundit class has started to talk up another Clinton run, especially if former President Donald Trump dives in as expected.
“Based on her latest public statements, it’s clear that Mrs. Clinton not only recognizes her position as a potential front-runner but also is setting up a process to help her decide whether or not to run for president again,” Democratic political advisers Doug Schoen and Andrew Stein wrote in the Wall Street Journal. “If Democrats want a fighting chance at winning the presidency in 2024, Mrs. Clinton is likely their best option.”
Well, no.
In the first polling deep dive into her chances to win the 2024 Democratic presidential primary and eventual race against Trump, Clinton turned out to be no more popular than Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and far less popular than Vice President Kamala Harris and former first lady Michelle Obama in a potential primary.
Republican pollster McLaughlin and Associates added Clinton questions to its monthly survey and found she would lose to Trump in a rematch of their 2016 race by a whopping 10 points, 51% to 41%. That’s slightly better than Harris would do, 51% to 40%.
She should forget a direct challenge to Biden, who has said he plans to run for reelection with Harris as his No. 2. That’s because the survey found she would receive just 7% of the Democratic primary vote if Biden runs.
Even if he doesn’t run, she’s a loser. In a Biden-free primary, Clinton has just 9% of the support of likely Democratic voters, the same as Ocasio-Cortez. Obama leads with those voters at 22%, followed by Harris at 16%.
Rarely do intraparty challenges to sitting presidents work. The last two, the late Sen. Edward Kennedy’s 1980 challenge to former President Jimmy Carter and columnist Pat Buchanan’s in 1992 against former President George H.W. Bush, failed. But they did damage those sitting presidents who eventually lost.
Pollster John McLaughlin told Secrets Clinton is having trouble winning support from groups that backed her 2016 bid and who are key to beating any Republican in a general election.
“The new hope of a revived Hillary Clinton gets beaten by Trump, 51% to 41%, with Trump beating her among independents, 52% to 37%; among suburban voters, 52% to 39%; and taking 19% among liberals, 13% among Democrats, and 10% of Biden 2020 voters,” he told us.
While it throws cold water on a Clinton run, the survey is the latest to show Trump is not only in charge of the GOP but he’s also the pick of Republican voters to run in 2024.
It found that 70% of Republican voters want him to run again and that if he does, 81% of Republicans would vote for him. In a Trump-Biden race, Trump would win 49% to 44%.
“Buyers’ remorse for President Trump is as strong as ever. President Trump dominates the potential GOP primary field,” McLaughlin said.
