Democrats Are Unable To Forget ‘Painful Memories’ Of 2016 Loss To Donald Trump, Report Says
Although recent polling shows Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden with a significant lead over President Donald Trump, Democrats reportedly can’t shake the “painful memories” of their 2016 loss, USA Today reported.
According to the publication, Biden’s lead over Trump, which is currently more than Hillary Clinton ever held, is not enough to hide the possibility that the positive prospects will turn to a loss in November.
“That memory can’t be erased,” said Luis Heredia, a member of the Democratic National Committee.
“You remind people that a poll is just a poll. It’s a moment in time on Tuesday morning when somebody answered a call. Let’s not get carried away. We should be winning by 20 points given the circumstances. Winning by 6 points is still too close for us to say that we’re ahead of the game.”
While Biden has maintained a double-digit lead in some recent polls, the lack of enthusiasm around his presidency has sent up warning signs to some Democrats. According to Ben Wikler, chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, Democrats should not buy too much into the polls.
He noted that Clinton lead Wisconsin by as much as 15 percentage points in August of 2016, but lost the state by less than one percentage point.
Wikler also noted that there is plenty of time before November for something to shake up the race.
“The thing that keeps me up at night is the unknown unknowns,” he said.
Lavora Barnes, chairwoman of the Michigan Democratic Party, also expressed a lack of confidence over Biden’s recent position in the polls.
“I don’t think anybody is comfortable with these numbers. There were people in 2016 who, very early on, because of who Donald Trump was, thought, ‘How could this nation possibly choose Donald Trump?'”
Democratic strategist Kevin Walling recently raised concern over the length of opportunity the four-month window to November offers Trump. But Walling also suggested that it might not be enough to counter the recent pattern of polling, which suggests that Trump’s favorability is declining amid the coronavirus pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests.
A new USA Today/Suffolk poll put Biden at 53 percent support to Trump’s 41 percent. At the same point in 2016, Clinton had 46 percent support and Trump 40 percent in the same survey. Elsewhere, in the battleground state of Florida, a Trafalgar Group poll showed Trump and Biden tied with 45.9 percent support.
Trafalgar Group was notably one of the few pollsters who predicted Trump’s win in 2016 and collects its data from likely voters, which reportedly provides more accurate data.
