Where the Anti-Biden Protest Vote Looks like Obama’s, and Where It Doesn’t

Bill Scher, the politics editor at the Washington Monthly, produced a useful side-by-side comparison to gauge the strength of the Democratic protest vote against Joe Biden versus the dissatisfaction among Democrats with Barack Obama’s presidency:

These results suggest that, in states with a healthy number of movement progressives such that they dominate internal Democratic politics, Biden fared worse than his former boss. But in states with more conservative electorates, Biden does better.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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Bill Scher, the politics editor at the Washington Monthly, produced a useful side-by-side comparison to gauge the strength of the Democratic protest vote against Joe Biden versus the dissatisfaction among Democrats with Barack Obama’s presidency:

These results suggest that, in states with a healthy number of movement progressives such that they dominate internal Democratic politics, Biden fared worse than his former boss. But in states with more conservative electorates, Biden does better.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.