A veteran Democratic strategist and operative, known for his contributions to Barack Obama’s two presidential victories, is strongly urging President Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race.

David Axelrod made this appeal in response to the release of a poll conducted by the New York Times and Siena College, which delivered highly unfavorable results for Biden. According to the poll, Biden is trailing former President Donald Trump in five out of six pivotal swing states, a year ahead of the election. Additionally, he holds only a slight 2-point lead over Trump in the sixth battleground state.

“Only Joe Biden can make this decision. If he continues to run, he will be the nominee of the Democratic Party,” Axelrod noted on the X platform. “What he needs to decide is whether that is wise; whether it’s in HIS best interest or the country’s?”

“It’s very late to change horses; a lot will happen in the next year that no one can predict & Biden’s team says his resolve to run is firm. He’s defied CW before but this will send tremors of doubt thru the party–not ‘bed-wetting,’ but legitimate concern,” Axelrod added, citing “conventional wisdom” in another post with a graphic of the polling data.

Biden is currently behind Trump by margins spanning from four to ten percentage points in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. In Wisconsin, Biden maintains a mere two-point lead. Collectively, across these six battleground states, all of which Biden won in 2020, the president lags behind by an average of 48% to 44%.

Axelrod highlighted a significant concern that voters have about Biden.

“The greatest concern is that his biggest liability is the one thing he can’t change. Among all the unpredictables there is one thing that is sure: the age arrow only points in one direction,” he wrote in another X post.

The Times/Siena poll underscores widespread discontent as most respondents claim that Biden’s policies have had a negative impact on them personally, according to the New York Times.

The poll reveals a range of concerns about Biden, including worries about his age and mental capacity. A significant 62% of respondents believe that Mr. Biden lacks the mental sharpness required to be an effective leader.

Furthermore, the poll demonstrates that the coalition of diverse racial and generational groups that strongly supported Biden in his election is now eroding. The nation’s direction is a point of contention, with two-thirds of voters believing it’s heading in the wrong direction.

Biden’s support among Hispanic voters is in the single digits, his advantage in urban areas is half of Trump’s edge in rural areas, and he is only slightly favored by voters under thirty.

Men are supporting Trump twice as much as women, reversing the gender advantage that drove many recent Democratic victories, although women still support Biden.

Historically, black voters, who have been a staunch support base for Democrats and Biden, are now giving Trump 22% of their vote in these states, a shift never before seen in recent presidential politics.

When combining the results, Trump has a six-point lead in Nevada, a five-point lead in Georgia, Arizona, and Michigan, and a four-point lead in Pennsylvania. Biden holds a slim two-point advantage in Wisconsin.

Notably, Biden’s deficits are more pronounced in swing states with greater diversity, with his only lead occurring in the least diverse state of the six, indicating a gradual racial realignment between the two parties.

The poll suggests that both Biden and Trump are highly unpopular, but a majority of voters who believe the country is heading in the wrong direction are directing their frustration at the president.

Spencer Weiss, a 53-year-old Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, electrical substation specialist who backed Biden in 2020 but is now backing Trump, albeit with some reservations, said, “The world is falling apart under Biden. I would much rather see someone who I believe can lead the nation as a positive role model. However, I believe that Trump is at least intelligent.”