The United States is hurtling toward a general election rematch between President Biden and former President Donald Trump that gives most voters the heebie-jeebies.
A plethora of surveys over the past year found that most Americans do not want a Biden-Trump sequel, citing the incumbent’s age and his predecessor’s legal baggage.
The first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary provided additional fodder for that storyline after more than 4 in 10 voters cast their ballots for someone not named Biden or Trump.
Looking to tap into that dissatisfaction, Republican candidate Nikki Haley, 52, released a television ad Wednesday that described Mr. Biden, 81, as “too old” and Mr. Trump, 77, as “too much chaos.”
“A rematch no one wants,” the narrator says.
Yet, barring a surprise or a health crisis, it seems ever more likely that voters will be sorting through that lesser-of-two-evils choice over the next nine months.
SEE ALSO: Discounting Haley, Biden campaign team launches general election attacks on Trump
Mr. Trump steamrolled the competition in the first two Republican nominating contests. He won by a record-setting margin in Iowa and followed that up with a double-digit victory in New Hampshire, where the makeup of the electorate was considered more favorable to Ms. Haley.
Mr. Biden won in New Hampshire even though his name did not appear on the Democratic primary ballot. Activists led a write-in campaign for the president.
Doubts are lingering about the appeal of Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump outside their respective parties.
After capturing close to 20% of the Democratic primary vote in New Hampshire, Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota said his showing speaks to Mr. Biden’s weakness and the need for the party to turn the page.
“I am trying to wake up my part to what is an impending disaster,” Mr. Phillips said Wednesday on Fox News. “The truth is, I think Joe Biden is the only person Donald Trump can beat, and reverse as well.
“We are facing a circumstance where most of this country — 70% — wants neither of these people,” he said.
SEE ALSO: Biden, eyeing reelection message, touts record Obamacare signups
Mr. Trump carried 74% of registered Republicans in New Hampshire, and Ms. Haley won 64% of undeclared voters.
Roughly 4 in 10 voters said they will be dissatisfied if Mr. Trump wins the party’s nomination and will deem him unfit to be president if he is convicted of a crime.
Kyle Kondik of the University of Virginia Center for Politics said Mr. Trump won larger percentages of the Republican electorate — particularly self-identified conservatives — in the opening contests in 2024 than in 2016.
Mr. Trump won smaller percentages of self-identified moderate and liberal voters, he said.
“Dominating with conservatives goes a long way toward winning a party, the Republican Party, that is dominated by conservatives,” Mr. Kondik said. “But the erosion with moderates may suggest some problems with the general electorate.”
Ms. Haley is playing up those concerns. She is reminding voters that the Republican Party has lost control of the Senate, House and White House since Mr. Trump won the 2016 election.
“The worst-kept secret in politics is how badly the Democrats want to run against Donald Trump,” Ms. Haley said at her primary night party. “They know Donald Trump is the only Republican in the country who Joe Biden can defeat.”
On Wednesday, the pro-Trump Make America Great Again Inc. super PAC offered Ms. Haley a reality check.
“It’s very simple: you can’t become the Republican nominee without the support of Republican voters,” the group said in a statement. “Nikki Haley does not have Republican support.”
Republican leaders continued to rally behind Mr. Trump.
“I’m looking at the math and the path going forward, and I don’t see it for Nikki Haley,” Ronna McDaniel, chair of the Republican National Committee, said on Fox News. “We need to unite around our eventual nominee, which is going to be Donald Trump, and we need to make sure we beat Joe Biden.”
The Biden campaign sounded eager to shift into full general election mode.
In a conference call with reporters, they signaled they are confident that Mr. Biden’s support will grow once voters come to grips with Mr. Trump as the alternative.
“The GOP primary has laid bare the stark and indisputable reality that while Donald Trump has the united support of his MAGA base, he is struggling to make himself palatable to these key constituencies that will ultimately decide the election this November,” said Biden campaign spokesperson Quentin Fulks.
Still, Mr. Biden is struggling to re-create the winning coalition of young voters, minorities and women that have powered Democratic victories in national elections.
His approval rating is 17 points underwater, according to a running tally from the political statistics website FiveThirtyEight.com. It shows Mr. Trump’s approval rating underwater but roughly 8 points stronger than Mr. Biden’s.
Former Rep. Cedric Richmond, a Biden campaign co-chair, downplayed the polls and said his boss should not be underestimated.
“You know, if I had a dollar for every time somebody counted Joe Biden out based on polls or something else, then I’d be independently wealthy,” he said.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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