OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
A Republican senator is voicing concerns about the 2024 election outcome and is imploring former President Donald Trump to drop out of the race, even though he’s leading by more than 40 points in some polls.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who voted to convict Trump during his second impeachment following the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol Building, responded, “I think so” when asked about it during a Sunday segment on CNN.
“But obviously, that’s up to him. I mean, you’re just asking me my opinion, but he will lose to Joe Biden if you look at the current polls,” Kennedy said, though it’s not clear which surveys he was referencing.
“I’m a Republican. I think any Republican on that stage in Milwaukee will do a better job than Joe Biden. And so I want one of them to win,” Cassidy added, according to The Hill. “If former President Trump ends up getting the nomination but cannot win a general, that means we’ll have four more years of policies … which I think have been deleterious to our country’s future.”
The outlet added:
Cassidy — a Republican with a knack for working across the aisle and who was one of the seven GOP senators to vote for conviction in the second Trump impeachment trial — said he does not expect American voters to elect a convicted felon.
He also said that, of the several indictments Trump faces, the case involving Trump’s mishandling and hoarding of national security information seems “almost a slam dunk.”
“If that is proven, then we may have a candidate for president who has been convicted of a crime,” he said. “I think Joe Biden needs to be replaced, but I don’t think Americans will vote for someone who’s been convicted. So I’m just very sorry about how all of this is playing out.”
WATCH:
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy says Jack Smith has a “slam dunk” case against Donald Trump, calls on Trump to drop out of the race, but then says he’d vote for Trump if he’s the Republican nominee.
This is what putting party over country looks like
pic.twitter.com/H6tOGXdXSu— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) August 20, 2023
While polling this far out from the November election is a snapshot of the current political conditions — much could and likely will change before balloting begins — Trump is running neck-and-neck with Biden.
According to a June Harvard-Harris poll, there was a notable surge in support for Trump, suggesting a potential path to victory next year if he secures the GOP nomination, which seems increasingly likely. The poll results indicate that Trump continues to maintain a formidable presence, despite several legal challenges.
The survey found Trump with 47 percent compared to 40 percent for Biden. The survey also looked at hypothetical contests involving Trump and other prominent Democrats. The results, for instance, showed Trump with 50 percent support compared to Vice President Kamala Harris, who trailed with 39 percent.
But Biden and Trump would get 43 percent of the vote overall if the 2024 presidential election were held today, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll. Nevertheless, voters continue to have high levels of disapproval for both men, with 54 percent disapproving of Biden and 55 percent of voters disapproving of Trump.
The national poll was released less than six months before the first primary and roughly 15 months before the election on November 5, 2024. Biden and Trump are still in the lead for their respective party’s presidential nominations.
The survey found that Trump received 54 percent of the support from GOP primary voters, while Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis came in second with just 17 percent of the vote.
In the Democratic primary, Biden currently enjoys a larger margin of victory with 64% of the vote compared to his rivals Marianne Williamson and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
However, the data shows that the majority of Democratic voters are still seeking a strong challenger to Biden, with half of those who plan to participate in the primary preferring a different candidate for 2024.
Of those, 39 percent said that Biden’s advanced age of 80 was the main reason they would have chosen someone else. Roughly 20 percent said Biden’s subpar job performance was their justification, while 14 percent merely wanted a replacement.
Only 5 percent of respondents said that Biden’s mental capacity was a reason to vote for another candidate.
