Former Vice President Joe Biden is ahead in several Iowa public polls and mounting a push to have campaign captains in all of the state's precincts before caucus night, but he may be facing some skepticism among Democrats, with a benchmark survey showing his support has fallen by more than one-third.
In four cities this past weekend, voters said they're concerned about Bidens' promise to return the country to when politicians were more civil, and complained that his policy positions are not progressive enough, reports The Hill.
"I really like Biden, but I just think his time is past," attorney Maggie Hibbs said in Des Moines. "I don't think his voice is right for the future of the Democratic Party."
Paula Smith, an associate dean at Grinnell College, said she has an issue with Biden's "old-fashioned chauvinistic attitude."
Both women said they are concerned Biden, 76, reflects the past.
Meanwhile, Biden's campaign plans to blanket Iowa. Senior campaign officials said hiring for staff positions has already started, with more than 50 staffers on the ground and plans to have a captain in place in all 1,677 precincts of Iowa on caucus night.
They plan to use strategies employed by John Kerry in 2004 and Barack Obama in 2008, both of whom identified voters that had been otherwise not likely to attend caucuses and got them to the polls.
Biden spokeswoman Julia Krieger told The Hill that he is "growing a robust, grassroots campaign focused on engaging with voters in every precinct across Iowa.”
However, Biden has just made one swing through Iowa since he launched his campaign in April, but back in 2006, before announcing his presidential bid in 2007, visited the state six times over 17 days. Fourteen other candidates have spent at least two weeks in the state.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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