President Joe Biden’s policies vis-a-vis Israel and the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip are costing him a significant number of voters in the upcoming presidential election, a new poll finds.
On Monday, The New York Times published a poll surveying registered and likely voters in six key battleground states which decided the 2020 presidential election and which are expected to be decisive in this November’s race.
The poll, conducted by Siena, surveyed 4,097 registered voters, screening also for likely voters, in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin – all states Biden narrowly won in 2020 and are considered to be in play in 2024 – from April 28th through May 9th.
Former President Donald Trump led Biden among registered voters in five of the six battleground states, with the president holding a narrow lead in Wisconsin.
Among likely voters, Trump led Biden in every state – including Wisconsin – except Michigan.
According to the poll, 51% of likely voters say they trust Trump to handle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict better than Biden, compared to 36% who said Biden would do a better job. The numbers were similar among registered voters, with 50% saying they trust Trump over Biden, compared to 35% who trust Biden over Trump.
Forty-five percent of likely voters said they sympathize more with Israel in the current conflict, compared to 21% who said they sympathize more with the Palestinians, 18% who said both sides equally, and 17% who did not know.
Thirteen percent of Biden voters from 2020 in the six battleground states now say they have decided not to vote for Biden in the rematch against Trump in November because of Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
Among those former Biden voters who have turned on the president over his Israel policies and the Gaza war, the vast majority said they sympathize more with the Palestinians than with Israel, with just 17% saying they sympathize more with Israel than the Palestinians.