Van Jones from CNN expressed concern about new polls showing that former President Trump is ahead of President Biden in five out of six important states, and he believes it should make the Democrats pay attention.
The New York Times poll published Monday found Trump with a slight lead in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and with significant leads in Nevada, Arizona and Georgia.
Jones said the results can be attributed to younger voters turning against Biden.
Jones explained, “It should be a wake-up call. Young people are upset. And it’s not just the situation in Gaza. The economic prospects for young people are miserable.”
He continued, “We just do not have a pathway for young people to be able to pay off their student debt, get a house. I think that we’re not yet feeling, hearing a full-throated approach to the young people [from Biden]. There’s a symbolic piece around student loans. That’s not going to be enough for Joe Biden.”
Jones added that the Biden campaign must also double down on courting the Black vote in key cities like Milwaukee, Detroit and Philadelphia.
Jones emphasized the need to reach out at the grassroots level in those important Black cities and ensure that their concerns are addressed by the Biden campaign.
The network’s polling expert, Harry Enten, described the poll results as an “absolute disaster” for Biden, pointing out a stark divide between results in Sun Belt states, versus those closer to the Great Lakes.
Trump has a 13-point lead in Nevada, 9-point lead in Arizona and 6-point lead in Georgia, according to the poll.
Enten explained, “The Trump coalition is changing. That’s basically what’s cooking here,” to illustrate the difference between results in the Southwest and Midwest.
He noted that the Trump campaign voter base has become increasingly non-white, and that the increase in support among Latino voters especially has helped Trump massively in Nevada and Arizona.
Despite the good signs for Trump, Enten noted that the race is not over yet. If the Times poll were accurate to election results and Biden won all states that were too close to call, he would stay in the White House by a razor-thin 270-268 electoral vote margin.
Enten acknowledged, “The race to 270 is advantage Donald Trump, but he’s not over the 270 mark just yet.”
The same Times poll found swing state Democratic Senate candidates outperforming Biden and leading their GOP rivals, adding to what is already expected to be a nail-biting November election.
