Most polls show former President Donald Trump leading the Republican Party's primary race, and Politico recently reported that Biden campaign staffers are "confident" about beating him in 2024.
Yet while his supporters see President Joe Biden as a strong contender, some research suggests that they could be in for a surprise.
A Marquette Law School survey poll carried out between May 8 and May 18 found the president is trailing Trump by five points among registered voters.
While the survey found that "both Biden and Trump are seen more unfavorably than favorably among registered voters nationwide," Trump's numbers were slightly better.
Whereas Trump is regarded favorably by 38% of registered voters and viewed unfavorably by 59%, the figures for Biden were 37% favorable and 60% unfavorable.
That wasn't the only poll to contain troubling news for Democrats, as another survey conducted from May 22 to May 25 by Echelon Insights did as well.
The poll observed a significant lack of enthusiasm for the Democratic incumbent, with some 61% of respondents saying they do not want to see Biden make another White House run.
When given a head-to-head choice, Trump came out two points behind the president. However, when participants were also given the choice of selecting West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, Trump took a one point lead.
Fox News reported that Manchin, who is widely regarded as a moderate Democrat, declined to endorse Biden when asked about the subject in March by CBS News host Margaret Brennan.
"There's plenty of time for the election. This is the problem with America right now. We start an election every time there's a cycle coming up," Fox News quoted Manchin as saying.
"The bottom line is, let's see who's involved. Let's wait until we see who all the players are. Let's just wait until it all comes out," he added.
Asked if he would endorse President Biden for reelection, @Sen_JoeManchin says, "Let's see who all the players are."
And on his OWN political future, Manchin demurs: "I will make my political decision in December, whatever it may be." pic.twitter.com/h6VORasqCw
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) March 5, 2023
What's more, Manchin also refused to say whether or not he intends to run for reelection, stating, "I'm not going to make my announcement for anything until the end of the year."
"I'm not going to make my decision about what my political position is going to be, or what I'm going to do for my political future. I won't do it until the end of the year. I've got too much to do now," he added.
