According to a new report from Axios, President Biden’s decision to pass the torch to Kamala Harris for his reelection effort was heavily influenced by alarming polling data, particularly from Virginia.
Internal Polls and Political Shifts
Recent internal polls commissioned by Biden’s campaign indicated a dramatic decline in support across key states. Sources told Politico, these polls, reviewed by the president last Saturday, showed a troubling collapse in voter support in Virginia, New Mexico and six critical swing states.
Virginia, previously a red state, has consistently swung Democratic in presidential elections since 2008. This trend made the recent polling data even more alarming for Biden’s campaign.
Public Polling Data
While the campaign’s internal data wasn’t shared, other public surveys echoed the concerning trend. A VCU-Wilder School poll revealed Biden trailing former President Donald Trump by 3 points, while an Emerson College/The Hill survey showed him down by 2 points.
A potential loss would’ve been a stunning upset for the president who managed to flip seven reliably Republican localities in the state in 2020, including Chesterfield.
Harris’ Stronger Position
The demographic landscape of Virginia and a reinvigorated progressive base suggest that Harris might perform better than Biden would have the state. A New York Times/Siena College poll conducted in early July showed Harris leading Trump by 4 points in Virginia.
And an average of five polls had Harris up by nearly 3 points, per The Hill.
Plus, while some prominent Democrats are waiting on the convention to back a new presidential nominee, every high-profile Democrat in Virginia quickly followed Biden and threw their support behind Harris, Virginia Mercury reported.
Those include Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, all six Democrats in the state’s U.S. House delegation, Virginia’s full Legislative Black Caucus and Senate Democratic Caucus, and the chair of the state Democratic party.
National Perspective
Despite these encouraging signs for Harris in Virginia, the overall picture remains challenging. The latest RealClearPolitics polling average indicates that Trump is ahead of Harris by 1.6 points nationally.
READ NEXT: [WATCH] Top Clinton Insider SLAMS Kamala With Hard Truth