"I think it shows Biden's support level is pretty soft," said Kyle Kondik, an elections analyst at the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. Democratic strategists expressed confidence that the party's voters would enthusiastically support Biden once he announces his run. Biden was the pick for 35% of Democrats and Trump for 43% of Republicans. 2 with 31% of registered Republicans backing him, just 12 percentage points behind Trump. By comparison, only a quarter of registered Republicans said Trump, 76, who was hospitalized with COVID-19 during his presidency, was not fit for the physical demands of the office.

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