More than a quarter of Democrats who were shown former Vice President Joseph R. Biden’s recent denial that he sexually assaulted a former staffer want someone else to be the party’s presidential nominee, according to a survey released on Monday.
Twenty-six percent of Democratic voters who were shown a 35-second video clip of Mr. Biden’s unequivocal denial that he sexually assaulted Tara Reade, a former Senate staffer, want the apparent nominee to be replaced by someone else, according to the Morning Consult poll.
More than six in 10 voters said Democrats should stick with Mr. Biden.
Forty percent of Democrats under the age of 45 said the party should pick a different nominee, compared to 15% of people ages 45 and older.
Sixty-one percent of Democrats also said they found the former vice president’s denial credible.
Ms. Reade has accused Mr. Biden of sexually assaulting her during the 1990s when she worked in his U.S. Senate office.
Several people, including friends, a former neighbor, and a former coworker, have said Ms. Reade had conversations with them corroborating aspects of her allegation, according to the Associated Press.
Other people who worked in Mr. Biden’s office at the time said they didn’t recall discussions of such an incident.
The allegations have presented a challenge for the #MeToo movement, whose mantra of “Believe women” has been put to the test now that Democrats’ likely presidential nominee is facing serious allegations.
Many top Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, have vouched for Mr. Biden in recent days and weeks.
The survey of 737 Democratic voters was taken from May 2-3 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4%.
