A recent CNN poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire reveals that despite not appearing on the primary ballots in January, President Joe Biden still maintains a strong lead among likely Democratic primary voters in New Hampshire. The poll also highlights the generally negative perception of former President Donald Trump among New Hampshire residents.

According to the poll, a majority of likely Democratic primary voters (65%) plan to write in Biden's name, indicating their unwavering support for the incumbent president. This suggests little room for any primary challenger to surpass Biden's popularity. Only 10% of voters express their intention to vote for Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips, while 9% plan to vote for author Marianne Williamson.

While opinions of Biden's performance remain largely negative in New Hampshire, respondents' views of Trump are even more unfavorable. Biden's job approval rating stands at 44% approve to 55% disapprove, while his favorability rating stands at 34% favorable to 53% unfavorable. However, Trump fares worse on nearly every personal attribute tested, except for physical and mental fitness. A significant 63% of New Hampshire residents have an overall unfavorable view of Trump, compared to 53% for Biden.

The poll also reveals that New Hampshire residents largely perceive the decisions to prosecute Trump as legitimate, with 58% considering them mostly or fully legitimate. Additionally, 62% of all adults in New Hampshire believe that Trump has probably committed at least one crime across the indictments he faces, and 68% think it's at least somewhat likely that he will be convicted in at least one case. Furthermore, a majority (61%) thinks a conviction would have a negative effect on Trump's ability to serve if he were to win another term in office.

Despite the negative perceptions of both front-runners, the poll indicates weak support for independent or third-party candidates. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who recently dropped out of the Democratic primary race to run as an independent, holds a 15% favorable opinion among Granite Staters, with 48% viewing him unfavorably. Progressive activist Cornel West is largely unknown to 69% of respondents, while Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia faces unfavorable views from about half (49%) of New Hampshire residents.

The New Hampshire primary, scheduled for January 23, will take place ahead of any other Democratic nominating event. Biden chose not to file as a candidate on the ballot, with voters from the Democratic primary being restricted to writing in his name. While 77% of likely Democratic primary voters knew beforehand that Biden's name would not appear on the ballot, 87% still consider voting in the primary to be important.

The poll also reveals some divisions within the likely Democratic primary electorate. Younger voters are less enthusiastic about Biden's nomination (10%) compared to those aged 50 and older (41%). Men show less enthusiasm (19%) compared to women (30%), while self-described progressives and moderates exhibit lower enthusiasm (20% and 28%, respectively) than self-described liberals (41%).

Overall, the poll suggests that despite some negative perceptions, Biden maintains a strong lead among likely Democratic primary voters in New Hampshire, while Trump's image continues to be viewed unfavorably. As the primary approaches, all eyes will be on how the election unfolds and whether any major shifts occur in the race for the Democratic nomination.

The CNN New Hampshire poll was conducted online from November 10-14 by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. The margin of sampling error for the full sample of 1,946 New Hampshire adults is plus or minus 2.2 percentage points, while the error margin for the 785 likely Democratic primary voters is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.