Sara Sidner, a correspondent for CNN, has warned that President Biden's re-election campaign could suffer significant damage if it fails to address the concerns of young voters regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict.
According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, Biden's popularity among young voters has been dwindling amid the war, with 43% of Americans opposing the provision of weaponry to Israel. A separate poll conducted by Deseret News and HarrisX revealed that 46% of Americans trust former President Donald Trump more than Biden to handle the conflict. Furthermore, a survey by the Associated Press/NORC Center for Public Affairs Research in November found that 44% of Democrats believe the U.S. is not providing enough support to Palestinians.
Sidner sought the insights of CNN political analyst Seung Min Kim on how these disapproval ratings could affect Biden's chances of re-election, particularly in key swing states such as Michigan.
Kim responded, "When you're talking about these swing states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, every vote really is going to matter. Especially when the battleground, those really contested states, aren't that big." She further explained that the Biden campaign is keen on retaining Georgia and Arizona and has set its sights on North Carolina. They are also closely monitoring Nevada to prevent losing the state.
Kim added, "They're really watching the discontent among the young voters and the Arab American voters certainly after the Israel-Hamas war broke out in early October."
She further elaborated on the two perspectives that exist. "People generally feel that these aren't voters that would necessarily go to Donald Trump, and the Biden campaign has been highlighting that obviously in the last several weeks," Kim said. However, she also pointed out the concern that these voters, despite their dislike for Trump, are also dissatisfied with Biden's performance in office. This apathy is a significant concern for the Biden campaign and Democrats.
Sidner echoed this sentiment, warning, "They may not go to the polls at all if they can't live with their decision and that could be really damaging to Joe Biden."
In what appears to be a response to these concerns, Biden has begun to alter his public support for Israel. He has reportedly told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that changes must be made to his government as the nation risks losing support due to its alleged "indiscriminate bombing."
Biden stated, "Israel's security can rest on the United States, but right now it has more than the United States. It has the European Union. It has Europe. It has most of the world supporting them. They're starting to lose that support by indiscriminate bombing that takes place."
This shift in stance comes as allies caution Biden that his pro-Israel position could alienate young Democrats.
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