Majority of Californians don't want to see Biden run for 2nd term

A new poll reveals that California voters don't want a rematch of the 2020 presidential race, with a majority of constituents hoping Biden does not seek a second term.

The poll, co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times and administered by the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, found that roughly 6 in 10 Californians are against Biden trying for a second term, a stark contrast from the president garnering 63.5 percent of the vote in the state in the 2020 election.

Vice President Kamala Harris is also unpopular in her home state, lagging behind both Governor Gavin Newsom and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont as the first choice for president if Biden does not run again. However, no potential candidate is the consensus favorite for the Democratic nomination, according to the survey.

"While many California Democrats are not convinced that Biden should run again, the absence of a clear Democratic alternative may afford [him] more space in avoiding a serious primary challenge should he decide to seek reelection," Eric Schickler, co-director of the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley, told the Los Angeles Times.

Average voters aren't the only Democrats who have voiced concerns about the 79-year-old president running for re-election, with politicians such as Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota coming out against the idea in a radio interview last month.

"I have respect for Joe Biden," Phillips said Thursday on WCCO’s The Chad Hartman Show when asked if he wanted Biden to run for re-election. "Despite some mistakes and some missteps, despite his age – I think he's a man of decency, of good principle, of compassion, of empathy, and of strength."

"But to answer your question directly, which I know is quite rare," he added. "No, I don't. I think the country would be well served by a new generation of compelling, well-prepared, dynamic Democrats to step up."

Phillips said that "political competition would be healthy" and "we should never pre-anoint anybody." He then called for a "generational change," pointing to the age of Biden, who set the record for the nation's oldest serving president.

Another Trump campaign would be even less popular according to the poll, with more than 70 percent of respondents in opposition.

"The poll was administered online in English and Spanish August 9-15, 2022, among 9,254 California registered voters."