Contributor Ellie Cohen dove into Joe Biden’s polling problem last week, highlighting how his nomination would increase the odds of Republicans taking back the White House in 2016.
There’s new evidence out of Virginia — part of the Holy Trinity of battleground states — that lends more credence to the case.
In hypothetical match-ups against Chris Christie — one of the most electable GOPers considering a run — Hillary Clinton holds a notable advantage over the New Jersey governor whereas Biden trails him, according to Quinnipiac:
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Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Clinton 46% 6% 90% 36% 40% 53% 38% 77% Christie 37 84 2 41 42 33 46 11 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 4 2 - 6 6 2 4 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 4 4 1 7 6 3 5 - DK/NA 8 3 6 10 7 9 7 1 |
| 10. If the election for President were being held today, and the candidates were Joe Biden the Democrat and Chris Christie the Republican, for whom would you vote? | |
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Biden 37% 3% 79% 28% 34% 40% 28% 66% Christie 44 88 9 47 47 42 54 14 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 5 2 1 7 7 3 4 3 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 4 3 1 6 5 3 4 1 DK/NA 10 3 10 12 8 12 9 16 |
The favorabilty gap between the two most prominent Democratic ’16ers is 9 points among Virginians, with Hillary at 57 percent and Biden at 48 percent — a number that’s not coincidentally, the same as President Obama’s.
It appears that Clinton got the better end of the deal as far as their futures go. If Hillary was selected as Obama’s VEEP — as was contemplated and encouraged by many of her fans — it’s likely she would be suffering from the ramifications of a second term slump as well.
Biden’s polling trails Clinton’s virtually everywhere in the country at this point, but it would help his case if he could say he’s at least matching Hillary in the most important states. The facts eliminate that argument from his arsenal.
Follow Dave’s blog at TheRun2016.com
