McClatchy: “Americans are as dug into their partisan corners, distrustful of their leaders and pessimistic about the direction of the country as ever before. And yet, entering the final weeks of a brutal election, Joe Biden is only getting more popular. More voters than not now view the Democratic presidential nominee favorably, according to a battery of recent polls, after a swift rise since the summer in the 2020 race that occurred even amid an onslaught of criticism from President Donald Trump, who is still viewed unfavorably by a majority of voters.”
“The development has surprised operatives in both parties and marks a stark turnaround from the 2016 presidential election, during which a hyper-polarized electorate was deeply skeptical of both major party candidates. Biden’s rise in popularity has also elicited no shortage of argument over whether it’s a product of the former vice president’s unusually positive campaign or an incumbent president unwilling to relinquish the spotlight throughout a tumultuous campaign.”