James Carville sounds the alarm on Biden's sinking poll numbers, old age concerns: 'Troubling'
Democratic strategist James Carville reacted to a CNN poll Thursday, telling the audience that President Biden’s poll numbers 'are not great.'
Democratic strategist James Carville said in an interview with The Washington Post that it was "ludicrous" to avoid debating President Biden's viability fo a second term.
Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., is expected to announce his plan to challenge Biden in New Hampshire on Friday, according to the Post. Phillips has argued that the Democratic Party should offer an alternative to Biden as his poll numbers remain low.
"The idea that this should not be aired out and should be discussed in hushed tones is ludicrous," Carville said of Biden. "This needs to be discussed." Concerns about Biden's age and what the Post called "historically alarming" polling with fellow Democrats have dominated Washington circles, but Biden has thus far not faced serious opposition to being nominated for a second time. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. recently dropped out of a bid for the Democratic nomination and announced he would run for president as an independent.
Other Democratic strategists said that a challenge from Phillips was unlikely to affect the president's path to securing the nomination.
Democratic strategist James Carville (center) said Democrats need to air out Rep. Dean Phillips' (right) expected primary challenge against President Biden. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images | Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Politicon | Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Political director and senior adviser to Sen. Elizabeth Warren's presidential campaign Rebecca Pearcey told the outlet that the Biden-Harris campaign did not need to worry about Phillips.
"We all know how old Biden is," she said. "I don’t think a 2.5-term congressman who is probably not actually known outside his district is the challenge that Biden would need in order to close this nomination."
Carville told The New York Times in September that it was clear voters did not want Biden to run for re-election.
"The voters don’t want this, and that’s in poll after poll after poll," he said. Worrying these fears could lower voter turnout, he conceded, "You can’t look at what you look at and not feel some apprehension here."
Carville told The New York Times in September that it was clear voters did not want Biden to run for re-election. (Getty Images)
During an interview with CNN in September, Carville said Biden's numbers were "troubling."
A CNN poll found that 49% of those surveyed flagged Biden’s "age" as their biggest concern about Biden as a presidential candidate. Another 7% said that Biden’s "mental sharpness" was a concern, while 7% said "health" and another 7% said that Biden’s ability to do the job was a cause for concern.
"Well, I guess, to say the least, the polls were not great," Carville said when asked about the poll numbers. "And it tells us that voters are expressing some apprehension here. It’s pretty clear. There’s not much else you can say when you look at them."
Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., who's mulling a 2024 Democratic presidential primary challenge against President Biden, speaks at a news conference in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 21, 2020. (REUTERS/Ken Cedeno)
Recent polls have shown Biden and former President Donald Trump are neck-and-neck in a hypothetical rematch.
A poll released in October found that most Americans believe the president acted illegally or unethically in how he has handled the controversial business dealings of his son, Hunter.
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Fox News' Kristine Parks and Jeffrey Clark contributed to this report.
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