Democratic divide hurting Biden: poll
Democrats are deeply divided over President Joe Biden's handling of both the offensive in Gaza and the US campus protests against it, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found, fraying the coalition that he relied on four years ago to defeat Republican Donald Trump.
Some 44 percent of Democratic registered voters responding to the May 7-14 poll said they disapprove of Biden's handling of the crisis. Democrats who disapproved of his response were less likely to say they would vote for Biden in the November 5 election -- no small concern given his tight rematch with Trump.
Biden has faced heavy criticism from some members of his own party for continuing to provide arms to Israel even though more than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in the offensive in Gaza.
The flow of weapons has continued even after Biden last week delayed a shipment of 2,000-pound (907-kg) bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs to Israel over concerns they might be used for a major invasion of Rafah.
The widespread campus protests, including some that have ended in violence when university officials called in police to clear campus, have undermined Biden's 2020 campaign pledge of a return to stability after Trump's chaotic four years in office.
Trump, meanwhile, has been working to exploit the unrest over the issue, urging Jewish voters, young voters and others unhappy with Biden's performance in the White House to cross over to him.
Overall, just 34 percent of registered voters approve of Biden's handling of the offensive, including 53 percent of Democrats, 31 percent of independents and 22 percent of Republicans.
Demonstrations have not been limited to college campuses, with protesters targeting Biden and other members of his administration at public events for months.
The poll, conducted online, surveyed 3,934 US adults nationwide, including 3,208 registered voters. It had margins of error of about 2 percentage points for responses from all registered voters, about 3 points for registered Republicans and Democrats and about 4 points for independents.
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