President Biden has argued for years that he is the politician to restore normalcy to American politics. But for almost as long, a subset of American voters, frustrated by everything from the economy to immigration policy, have argued that they do not want his version of it.
The latest New York Times/Philadelphia Inquirer/Siena College poll in battleground states, released on Monday, showed that most voters still wanted to “bring politics in Washington back to normal.” But nearly 70 percent of voters said the country’s political and economic systems needed major changes or to be completely torn down. And few believed that Mr. Biden would make even minor changes that would be good for the country.
The view from the Biden campaign is this: There is still time to sell Mr. Biden’s economic and policy accomplishments, and officials are working to connect with the voters who will decide the election. There is still time to draw a character contrast between Mr. Biden and his predecessor and challenger, Donald J. Trump.
And, they argue, Mr. Biden is not satisfied with business as usual, either.
“This campaign is not arguing for the status quo,” said Molly Murphy, a pollster with the Biden campaign. “The most important piece is acknowledging that people are still feeling frustrated and behind, and that the problems and the struggles that people are facing were not caused by this president and in fact have been alleviated” by Mr. Biden.
Recent polling has been consistent enough to reflect widespread discontent with both candidates. Mr. Biden’s handling of the Gaza war has been deeply unpopular among young, Black and Hispanic voters, whose frustration, if it continues, could unravel the president’s Democratic coalition.
