A leaked internal campaign memo from the progressive pollster OpenLabs suggests Joe Biden’s cognitively impaired debate performance has critically damaged his re-election prospects. OpenLabs surveyed voters for 72 hours after Thursday’s presidential debate and found that Biden, who was already running behind former President Donald J. Trump, now only holds slim leads in three of 14 states considered key to the 81-year-old incumbent’s re-election. Prior to the debate, Biden led in five key states and was competitive in three others.
The group’s pre-debate data had Biden leading in Colorado, Minnesota, Maine, New Mexico, and Virginia. Additionally, the OpenLabs data showed the Democrat within striking distance in New Hampshire, Wisconsin, and the Nebraska 2nd Congressional District. In total, these states put Biden within the range of an Electoral College victory, with states like Michigan and Pennsylvania being competitive.
However, in the three days following the debate, voter opinion of Biden shifted dramatically—fueled in part by concerns that the octogenarian is cognitively incapable of serving as President. Trump now leads in all but three of the 14 target states. Even more concerning for Democrats is that Trump is well within the margin of error in Colorado, Minnesota, and Maine.
Should the Biden campaign’s free fall continue, with Trump sweeping all 14 target states, the America First leader could secure a stunning 358 electoral votes in November. Biden, meanwhile, would only muster 180 electoral votes—with Democrats likely suffering extensive losses in down-ballot races as well.
The OpenLabs memo notes that even prior to the debate, Biden was running four points below his 2020 numbers.
