Democratic disconnect: Dems miss the mark with voters irked by high crime and high prices
Democrats are having trouble connecting with voters worried about national security, income inequality and affordable housing, according to a POLITICO analysis.
Democrats have a built-in advantage when it comes to reaching voters concerned about national security and crime, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll that suggests that voters who are critical of President Donald Trump are willing to forgive his past and present shortcomings in the areas of crime and race relations. In fact, they would even let Trump off the hook on his most controversial policy positions.
By contrast, Trump’s voters are more divided than his GOP rivals, with the party’s support split almost evenly between candidates who hold conservative and liberal positions on issues like the environment. Republicans are far more aligned with voters who have an unfavorable view of Trump: They are more likely to approve of his handling of race relations, immigration and his handling of immigration than approve of his work on national security, the environment or gun legislation.
Among all voters, Trump has his strongest support among his party’s white working-class base, and his most intense opposition among his most committed bloc of voters: high-income people with household incomes over $200,000 per year, according to the POLITICO/Morning Consult poll. By contrast, Trump’s strongest support among his party’s white working-class base and his most intense opposition among his most committed bloc of voters are among high-income white voters.
The POLITICO/Morning Consult poll, which was conducted after the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history and as many Democrats had been openly calling for his impeachment, found Trump’s support among these two groups has dropped by 12 percentage points since April, when his approval rating was just above 40 percent.
Meanwhile, Trump’s approval rating among voters with household incomes under $99,000 has increased by 11 points in the two months after the shooting, according to the poll, which surveyed 813 registered voters across the country online. The POLITICO/Morning Consult