Gallup recently conducted a survey of registered voters, asking them what issues were most important to their vote. No surprise, Republican and Democrats prioritized different issues. Here’s what mattered most to the Republicans:
And here’s what mattered most to the Democrats:
This post will focus on the Republicans, because Republican candidates did much better this November election than had been predicted by pollsters and pundits. Per the Gallup survey, Republicans care more about national security, the economy and crime than do the Democrats. Many Republicans also consider Democrats weak - if not downright counterproductive - on these issues. Republican votes are therefore largely driven by two considerations: vote for candidates they perceive as strong on national security, the economy, and crime and vote against candidates they think will undermine national security, damage the economy, and increase crime. For many Republicans, these considerations outweigh concerns about Trump’s character and autocratic tendencies.
Although the US economy has been badly shaken during the pandemic, I don’t think Republicans fault Trump for the current recession. After all, we’re still doing better than most of Europe, GDP-wise - and that is partly the result of an effective economic stimulus plan. I grant, though, that most people - Republican or Democrat - aren’t thinking of France’s economic woes when thinking about how the US economy is doing. They’re thinking about their own situations.
So here is another reason so many Republicans continue to support Trump, despite everything: they were feeling great about their own financial prospects before Covid forced them to redo the math.
Even now, in the midst of the worst pandemic and economic downturn of our lives, most Americans say they are better off now they they were four years ago. Is it any wonder that the party in power during most of those four years did so well in this election?
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References:
“Most Say They Are Better Off Now than Four Years Ago” Gallup, October 7, 2020 https://news.gallup.com/opinion/gallup/321650/gallup-election-2020-coverage.aspx
“Partisan Differences in Prioritization of Issues, Among Registered Voters: % Saying the Candidates Position on the issue is extremely of very important”. Gallup. October 5, 2020. https://news.gallup.com/poll/321617/economy-tops-voters-list-key-election-issues.aspx