A recent national poll by the Monmouth University Polling Institute reveals that Republicans are notably more enthusiastic about the potential 2024 election rematch between President Biden and former President Donald Trump compared to Democrats or independent voters.
Released on Monday, the survey underscores an overall rise in enthusiasm among registered voters for the Biden-Trump rematch, although it remains below 50%, now standing at 39%.
“Enthusiasm for a 2020 rematch has increased slightly now that these two candidates are the presumptive nominees. But most voters are not looking forward to November,” emphasized Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.
The poll exposes a stark partisan disparity in enthusiasm, with 63% of Republicans expressing some level of enthusiasm for a repeat contest between Biden and Trump. In contrast, enthusiasm levels drop to 36% among Democrats and 27% among independents.
The survey also indicates a closely contested race between Biden and Trump, with 44% indicating probable or definite support for Trump in the presidential election and 43% saying the same for Biden. Additionally, 49% stated they would definitely not vote for Biden, and 48% said the same for Trump.
Interestingly, 18% of respondents expressed willingness to vote for Democrat-turned-independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known for his environmental activism and vaccine skepticism.
“Support for Kennedy is not particularly strong even among voters who dislike both Biden and Trump. If he can’t score a decisive win with these voters, it’s unclear what role he can play in this election other than as a spoiler,” Murray highlighted.
The poll underscores inflation (38%) and economic growth and jobs (37%) as the top concerns shaping the presidential election, followed by immigration (33%) and abortion (33%).
Among Republicans, immigration (56%) and inflation (53%) rank as the most influential issues, while abortion (44%) holds greater significance for Democrats.
“When partisan voters name their top issues in this election, it is not about weighing the candidates’ positions. It’s more about which issues are motivating them to get out to vote. You have to focus on the small group of voters who are up for grabs to see which issue may actually sway voters. In this case, it appears to be inflation,” noted Murray.
The Monmouth University Poll was conducted April 18-22 via telephone with 808 adults nationwide, with a sampling error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.
