President Joe Biden has lost the most support among Hispanic and independent voters, especially when it comes to his handling of the economy and the Chinese coronavirus pandemic, according to FiveThirtyEight.
According to the Thursday report:
Over his first nine months in office, President Biden has lost support among Americans of all stripes — men and women, Black voters and white voters, Zoomers and Baby Boomers. Even Democrats writ large are more disenchanted. But two groups with whom Biden has lost support stand out: independents and Hispanics.
The website’s polling average shows that Biden’s approval among independents has dropped from 50 percent in the late spring and early summer to below 35 percent now.
“In that sense, it’s a real problem for Biden that the most moveable group of voters now largely disapproves of the job he is doing as president,” the report states.
The “sharp decline” in support seems to correlate with independent voters’ disappointment in Biden’s handling of the Chinese coronavirus pandemic. Nearly 60 percent approved of the president’s response in early June, compared to just under 42 percent now, according to FiveThirtyEight’s coronavirus approval tracker.
Independents have been “even more displeased” with Biden’s handling of the economy — the issue fell from the low 40s this summer to approximately 30 percent.
According to the report, Biden’s job approval has also dropped among Hispanics, marking his “most precipitous decline.” Support from Hispanic Americans has dropped from the high 60s to below 50 percent. Per the report:
Recent polling suggests that Hispanic approval of Biden’s handling of the pandemic and the economy has fallen sharply. The latest poll from The Economist/YouGov found just 45 percent of Hispanics approved of Biden’s handling of the pandemic, compared with 65 percent in early June. And Politico/Morning Consult’s new survey found Hispanic approval of Biden’s handling of the economy has dropped to 42 percent, compared with 60 percent back in June.
Hispanics are also reportedly frustrated with how Biden has handled immigration. According to a Quinnipiac University poll, only 23 percent of Hispanic Americans “approved of Biden’s work on immigration, down from 49 percent in late May.”
“For Democrats looking ahead to the 2022 midterms, Biden’s overall approval rating is concerning enough, but if Biden is struggling to win independents and Hispanics, that could snuff out any hope Democrats have of holding either chamber of Congress,” according to the report.
While FiveThirtyEight noted that decline in approval is somewhat normal for most presidents at this point in their presidencies, the “hyper polarized political environment” could hinder Biden from rebounding — the report found that his approval rating has seemingly stabilized in the mid-to-low 40s with “no indication” his numbers will bounce back.
“… If Republicans can capitalize on Biden’s weakness among these groups, that could be their ticket back to controlling Congress next year,” according to the report.
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