Poll: More than half of South Carolinians reject Trump, Biden for 2024
(The Center Square) — More than half (54%) of South Carolina voters say the country would be better off if President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump sat out the 2024 race.
The finding is included in a new survey of 640 likely voters Spry Strategies conducted Jan. 17-19 on behalf of the South Carolina Policy Council. The survey, released Tuesday, found that less than one in three (30%) disagreed with the sentiment.
While the survey revealed that Trump and Biden are exhibiting signs of weakness with their bases and are underwater in favorability in the state, it revealed Biden remains more popular with state Democrats than Trump does with Republicans.
“Digging deep into the numbers of both the overall survey and the data segregated by political party shows a clear pattern. South Carolina voters of all [stripes] are ready to move on from both Biden and Trump,” SCPC Executive Director Dallas Woodhouse said in an announcement. “A sizable number of rabid partisans that still view Mr. Biden or Mr. Trump very favorably still say the country would be better off if neither were elected in 2024, and/or their party should nominate someone else in 2024.”
In a potential primary, Palmetto State GOP voters favor Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (52%) over Trump (33%), a difference of 19%.
Perhaps even more problematic for Biden, 58% of likely Palmetto State voters say America is on the wrong track, while just 38% say the country is on the right track. Similarly, nearly half of the state’s likely voters (48.4%) are “very concerned” about whether their families can pay their bills because of inflation and rising costs.
According to a survey of 251 likely voters in the 2024 South Carolina Democratic primary, less than half (43%) say the party should nominate Biden in 2024.
If Biden doesn’t run, Vice President Kamala Harris leads the pack of potential nominees, picking up 26% of the Democrats polled. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg came in second with 14%.
The poll had a margin of error of 3.9%.
The news comes as a former state governor, Nikki Haley, has hinted she may be exploring a 2024 run. Another high-profile South Carolinian, Republican U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, is also widely considered to be exploring a presidential run.
Trump is set to make his first South Carolina appearance of the 2024 campaign on Jan. 28. Trump is slated to appear at the state Capitol in Columbia with U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and Gov. Henry McMaster, both Republicans.
The Palmetto State could be particularly important in 2024, as Democrats voted to proceed with a plan that makes South Carolina the first primary of the election cycle. However, New Hampshire officials have vowed to maintain their status as the first primary.