Shutterstock
Frank Luntz, a longtime conservative polling expert, has stated that he feels Donald Trump is facing “significant challenges” to his reelection. “The Democrats are trying to make this a referendum on Donald Trump, not his policies, not the issues,” Luntz told news station CNBC Friday morning. Luntz applauded Joe Biden’s appearance at the Democratic National Convention, arguing that the candidate succeeded in shifting the narrative.
Donald Trump has attempted to paint Biden as a “far-left” puppet, and as an old man in the grip of dementia. However, Biden tried to show during the DNC that those accusations are not necessarily true. He had several prominent Conservative politicians endorse him during the event.
Meanwhile, progressive champion Bernie Sanders also spoke at length during the event, stealing the show during the first night. As such, Luntz argues, Biden has done a surprisingly good job “toeing the line” between moderate and progressive voices in the party.
Political handicappers are now backing Biden as the likely winner of the 2020 election. This is based on poll data taken from the last few months which shows Biden with a commanding lead nationally. However, the biggest indicator that Biden could win comes from polls that show states like Georgia and Texas are getting into “toss-up” territory.
Texas is a Republican bastion, and has not gone for a Democratic candidate in decades. The same is true for Georgia. However, recent polls suggest that the race between Biden and Trump is neck-and-neck in those states. This could be a huge moment for Biden. Should he win Texas and hold all the states that Hillary Clinton carried in 2016, he would automatically win the presidency on Electoral College votes.
Biden’s political chances buoyed earlier in the year when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the US. The Trump Administration struggled to answer the moment, according to critics. Early on, they dismissed the virus. The administration originally projected that things would be reopening by April. Needless to say, this was an overly optimistic view of the situation.
In the intervening months, public faith in the Trump Administration’s handling of the pandemic has tanked. Online searches for “best acne treatment” and “flu symptoms” were overtaken by “COVID-19 symptoms” searches. Now, with Biden’s campaign focused on the message of “building back better,” he’s simply better-positioned to capture the vote, handicappers say. This forward-facing message lines up well against Trump’s message, “Keep America Great”.
For many Americans, America isn’t doing so great right now. Keeping things how they are might not be the most popular call.
