CNN host Jake Tapper said Sunday on “State of the Union” that if you looked at the numbers in some polls, President Joe Biden was a “drag on the ticket.”
Tapper said, “So you noted that Biden had had to campaign in addition to being leader to the free world, let’s talk about the campaign because Trump was in battleground Michigan last night making a pitch to African-American voters. Polls show Biden trailing Trump in key battleground states and polling well behind your senate colleagues who are running for reelection. Look at this New York Times poll from last month. Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin is up nine points in Wisconsin. Biden’s only up two points. Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey up five in Pennsylvania, Biden’s down three, Arizona Congressman Ruben Gallego, running for Senate in Arizona, up four, Biden down seven. Nevada, Senator Jacky Rosen up two years in Nevada, Biden’s down 12. How can you look at this, these statistics, these numbers, and not conclude that Joe Biden is a drag on the ticket?”
Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) said, “Oh, that’s not going to be the case.”
Tapper insisted, “But look, look at the numbers.”
Murphy said, “That’s one poll.”
Tapper said, “You are happy for your colleagues, I’m sure, but Biden is underpolling all of them.”
Murphy said, “That’s one poll. I can also show you 60 other polls that show that Joe Biden is in the lead. There are many polls in swing states that show Joe Biden has a small lead. This is going to be a close race. There’s no doubt about it. But what we have consistently seen is that Democrats are outperforming polls because we’re seeing a surge of turnout, especially young people who are freaked out that Republicans led by Donald Trump are going to take away their right to reproductive healthcare, are going to destroy our democracy.”
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