Politico reports:

“Confused.” “Frail.” “Dementia.”

Those were a few of the words used to describe Biden’s lackluster performance and appearance at Thursday’s presidential debate by Democratic-leaning voters, who were less likely to say they’d vote for him after it was over, according to a new survey and virtual focus group.

The president’s cognitive and physical fitness left more of an impression on respondents than anything else, according to the survey, which was spearheaded by former Bill Clinton pollster Stan Greenberg and asked 374 registered voters to complete a questionnaire right before and after the debate to compare shifts in sentiment, in addition to dial tests during the debate. But Biden’s repeated stumbles didn’t immediately push these voters toward rival Donald Trump — who participants recalled as being more composed, though they acknowledged Trump gave more evasive, misleading answers to questions.

While 65 percent of the voters surveyed said they would vote for Biden in a head-to-head matchup with Trump before the debate, only 54 percent said he won the debate once it ended, according to the survey. The other 46 percent selected Trump as the victor after observing both candidates’ performances.

The survey is different from typical polls in that it was intended to measure opinions of a Democratic-leaning sample of voters and observed the same group of participants at two different points in time — before and after the debate — and also asked several open-ended questions. [Continue reading…]