A Republican pollster says it’s better for Democrats to hold an open convention than to put President Biden or Vice President Harris on the ticket.
Whit Ayres, founder of North Star Opinion Research, said on NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday” that neither Biden nor Harris will be able to defeat former President Trump in next fall’s presidential election. His comments came after Biden’s lackluster debate performance last month, which raised concerns within the Democratic Party about whether he is the best candidate to put forward.
“It’s much better for Democrats to have an open convention where they can bring someone new to the floor who is — would be a credible president,” Ayres said Sunday. “I think it’s much better for them to do that than to stick with Biden or Kamala Harris, both of whom are almost certain to lose to Donald Trump.”
When host Chris Stirewalt noted that introducing someone new could be “dangerous” for Democrats, Ayres emphasized that presidential candidates have been nominated at national conventions before. The Democratic National Convention will be held from August 19 to 22 in Chicago, where Biden is expected to be officially nominated as the party’s candidate.
“In the past, we have nominated presidential candidates at conventions. The Democratic convention would get the biggest audience ever, and you would have the ability to introduce someone to whom America has not yet been introduced and who could actually be a very good president,” he said.
Ayres said at the start of the interview that it wouldn’t matter to Democrats whether Biden or Harris were at the top of the ticket, adding that the vice president “is as weak as Joe Biden.”
Some Democrats have called on Biden to step aside and allow someone else to take the reins just months before the general election. Biden and his campaign have emphasized that he will not drop out of the race and dismissed concerns about his age and ability to do the job.
Biden sat down for an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on Friday, reiterating that he believes he is the best candidate for president. He said he was feeling “exhausted” before last month’s debate, but noted that his performance was not indicative of a more serious medical condition.
“I don’t think anyone is more qualified to be president or win this race than me,” he said at one point.
NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.
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