President Biden is struggling in his reelection push to recreate the support he enjoyed among young voters four years ago.
A Harvard Youth Poll released Thursday shows the 81-year-old Democrat holds a 45% to 37% lead over former President Donald Trump among all 18 to 29 years old, while 16% are undecided.
The same survey at this point in the 2020 race showed Mr. Biden with a 51% to 28% lead among that same subset of voters.
It is another warning sign for Mr. Biden, who at the age of 81 is trying to recreate his winning coalition from 2020 that relied on strong support from minority, young and female voters.
Mr. Biden’s approval rating is underwater with young voters, who have a dismal view of the country’s direction, with 9% saying the nation is headed in the right direction.
Mr. Biden hasn’t been able to close the enthusiasm gap with Mr. Trump.
By a 76% to 44% margin, Mr. Trump’s supporters are more enthusiastic than Mr. Biden’s backers.
Mr. Biden’s edge among young voters dips more when they can vote for third-party contenders Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Jill Stein and Cornel West.
In that instance, Mr. Biden received 28% of the vote, followed by Mr. Trump, 25%, Mr. Kennedy, 11%, Ms. Stein, 4% and Mr. West 3%. The remaining voters are undecided.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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