Vice president Joe Biden has soared in a recent Bloomberg poll to second place and just inches away from front-runner Hillary Clinton. Vice President Joe Biden has yet to throw his hat into the 2016 presidential race. However, growing poll favorability could prove to be the needed boost to convince him to join the race.
In a poll conducted between Sept. 18 and Sept. 21 by Bloomberg surveying 375 Democrats and Democrat leaners from Iowa and Des Moines, pollsters recorded a huge upsurge in the favorability figures of Biden. Hillary Clinton led the pack with 33 percent favorability while Biden was close second with 25 percent. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders was third with 24 percent. Other Democratic candidates were polled within the margin of error.
In terms of net favorability, Biden pooled in at the top with an astounding 80 percent in favor of and 14 percent against. Clinton was second with 70 percent in favor of and 25 percent against. Sanders was a far third with only 54 percent in favor of and 9 percent against. More than 30 percent of Democratic leaners were not sure what to think of Sanders.
Of all the candidates in the 2016 White House race, the polled Democrats were more skeptical of Donald Trump as president. Only 29 percent said they could realistically see the billionaire as president. Comparatively, 69 percent said they absolutely could not see the flamboyant Trump in the Oval Office.
In regards to the Democrat front runner, 47 percent said they could realistically envision Clinton as head of state while up to 52 percent could not.
When asked whether Biden should run, more were in favor of his candidacy than those against. Up to 47 percent wanted the Vice President to run for president while 37 percent thought he should sit it out.
Biden has not expressed his interest in the presidency formally yet. With the end of summer approaching, many are wondering whether a late candidacy would affect Clinton’s front runner status. Biden himself does not seem too committed to either option.
During an interview on his family’s decision-making process on a potential run, Biden said, “We’re just not there yet and may not get there in time to make it feasible to be able to run and succeed because there are certain windows that will close. But if that’s it, that’s it. But it’s not like I can rush it. It’s not like it either happens or it doesn’t happen. I know that’s not satisfying to anybody, but people who have been there, I know they understand.”
More Democrats are leaning toward a Biden presidency as Clinton’s numbers continue to go down. Plagued by an email scandal that refuses to fade away and a congressional Benghazi hearing, Clinton’s time at the top spot may just be winding down in favor of an undeclared presidency by Biden.
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