Progressives Disappointed in Biden’s Response to Gaza, Border Issues Leads to Fissure

President Joe Biden’s alliance with the progressive wing of the Democrat party has taken a beating in recent months, starting with his general support of Israel in Gaza, and some worry that it could cost him with a key voter bloc in November.

Courting the young and minority voters was instrumental to Biden’s election in 2020, but now his support of the Senate bipartisan border bill, which would severely limit migration, is another wedge issue that further fractures Biden’s bond with progressives, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

“A lot of people in our base are feeling really hesitant about supporting Joe Biden,” Stevie O’Hanlon, spokesperson for climate-focused youth group Sunrise Movement, told the Journal. “Joe Biden needs the young generation in order to win and that is going to require him doing a lot on climate, on Gaza, on immigration, to try and regain trust that’s been broken.”

House Democrats fear that Gaza and the border are two front-burner issues that are lowering young voters’ enthusiasm for Biden.

“We’re not doing well,” Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., told Punchbowl News last week. “If the election were held tomorrow, (youth voter apathy) would be a major problem.”

Added Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif: “We win and lose on turnout, and when you see that enthusiasm gap, it’s pretty troubling. Even though President Biden has been better than any other president on climate, there’s been too much fossil fuel business as usual.”

According to a USA Today poll last month, Republican front-runner Donald Trump was leading Biden by 5 points (39%-34%) among Hispanic voters and by 4 points (37%-33%) among voters under 35.

In the 2020 presidential election, Biden dominated with Blacks (87%), Hispanics (65%-32%), and voters under 35

Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., told the Journal that candidates who win the presidency often forget what got them there when they transition to candidate again.

“A lot of times, presidential campaigns become very insular, and what we need is to remember that we lost in 2016 and we won in 2020 because we had a very different approach to partnership with progressives and with the base,” Jayapal said. “There’s always a tendency to move to the right or to the center and forget.”