Hmmm … poll shows Donald Trump support waning in rural Florida

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Democratic poll finds Trump standing in decline in small towns.

A new poll of voters in rural areas shows President Donald Trump struggling to hold together his base. That includes a softening of support in small Florida towns.

The poll by Democratic firm ALG Research found that among rural and small-town voters, many hold Trump in low esteem. Liberal Super PAC American Bridge 21st Century funded the poll in an outward effort to demonstrate weakness for the President with his presumed base.

Most notably, only 46 percent of those polled said they would support Trump’s re-election effort; just 37 percent saying the would definitely back the president’s reelection. But 40 percent of voters said they intend to vote for someone else in 2020.

While that means Trump still remains the choice of a plurality of rural voters in swing states, he likely needs stronger support to offset Democratic enthusiasm in cities.

“We suspected there was an opportunity to cut Trump’s margins with rural, working-class voters and we were right,” said American Bridge President Bradley Beychok.

“Even among his base, Trump is underperforming.”

The ALG Research poll surveyed voters in low-density communities in four swing states: Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. All four states went for Trump in 2016.

The survey did not include any responses from voters who self-identify as “liberal Democrats.”

The bulk of responses in the poll — 500 of 1,700 — hail from Florida rural areas and small towns.

The polling sample also heavily tilts to self-identified Republicans, who make up 49 percent of respondents compared to 16 percent Democrat and 35 percent independent or third party.

The poll found among these heartland voters, 53 percent do not view Trump as “honest and trustworthy.” A plurality of voters said the President does not “share their values.”

A bare plurality of 48 percent said Trump “cares about small-town and rural America.”

Voters seem most disappointed on the President’s work on health care. On reducing health care costs, 67 percent negatively graded Trump’s job performance and just 25 gave a positive response. Similarly, just 39 percent were satisfied on whether Trump was taking on pharmaceutical companies, but 51 percent voiced negative feelings.

When asked if Trump was “cutting taxes for people like me,” 50 percent responded negatively and 44 percent responded positively. Similarly, there was a 7-percent net negative response when asked if Trump was “raising wages for working families.”

ALG Research also tested messaging, and found voters respond strongly to criticisms of Trump proposing an $845-billion cut to Medicaid or threatening coverage of pre-existing conditions.

In terms of delivering messaging, the survey found these voters rely heavily on television. About 40 percent of respondents list local TV news as their primary information source. Some 85 percent say they never receive news online.

American Bridge leaders suggested the findings of weakness in rural American mirror the Trump’s campaign own data. Numerous media reports indicate Trump fired his own pollsters after they showed him trailing Democrat Joe Biden.

Of note, ALG Research Partner John Anzalone now conducts polling for Biden, and has worked with the former vice president since his first presidential run in 1987.

“His team clearly knows it as well as we do, and our latest research proves it,” Beychok said.

“American Bridge is going to be working hard with an all-out effort to hit Trump where it hurts – weakening him with his core voters and ensuring a Democrat is elected to the White House.”

Jacob Ogles

Jacob Ogles has covered politics in Florida since 2000 for regional outlets including SRQ Magazine in Sarasota, The News-Press in Fort Myers and The Daily Commercial in Leesburg. His work has appeared nationally in The Advocate, Wired and other publications. Events like SRQ’s Where The Votes Are workshops made Ogles one of Southwest Florida’s most respected political analysts, and outlets like WWSB ABC 7 and WSRQ Sarasota have featured his insights. He can be reached at [email protected].


6 comments

  • VoteDem2020

    June 24, 2019 at 12:47 pm

    Hallelujah! Finally, some of the people who voted for the Draft-Dodger-In-Chief in Florida are realizing and admitting that they made a mistake! The mook only won the state by 1.2% Hopefully, this change in attitude will be enough to get rid of Trump in the 2020 election!

  • Kenneth McCarver

    June 24, 2019 at 12:54 pm

    Democrat 2020 Platform & Goals:

    -Open Borders.
    -Sanctuary Cities.
    -Elimination of ICE
    -Disarming Americans.
    -Infanticide.
    -Voting rights for illegal aliens.
    -Pack the courts with radical liberal judges (Like the 9th circuit)
    -Increase refugee’s from the third world.
    -Illegal aliens allowed to hold public office.
    -Socialism.
    -Free Abortions for all (Taxpayer funded)
    -The green new deal.
    -End of Electoral College
    -Free Medicare care for all including non citizens (taxpayer funded)
    -Raise Minimum Wage
    -Have adolescents vote
    -!00% free college for all, including non citizens. (tax payer funded)
    -Reparations for every rac “harmed” by the white man.
    -Convicts, Terrorists voting.
    -Susie & Bobby using the same restrooms.
    -Late term abortions.
    -Pay check for every person in the US even if they choose not to work.

    Sources: Straight from the Democrat’s mouths. Listen to their speeches on you tube.

    • Rosemary Mills

      June 24, 2019 at 2:18 pm

      Brilliant response Kenneth…just brilliant!!!!

    • Phil Morton

      June 25, 2019 at 6:34 am

      Some of these are actually true and quite good for the country.

    • Cerceify

      June 25, 2019 at 8:00 am

      Yeah Kill all the babies As the Ayatollah recently said “ Retarded”.

    • Sandy Oestreich

      June 25, 2019 at 1:40 pm

      Betcha your only sources of these “facts” ARE FOX “FAKE NEWS” AND KNOWLEDGE IMPAIRED “friends”, really fake sources. We are So sorry for you, as you seem to have no knowledge about how trump Inc is stealing from you. Egg on your face will be your makeup at the outcome (medicaid has been cut, increased taxes on middleclass etc, lowered wages for working folks, privately dissing small town and rural voters.
      Heck, but what do I know..I just read, watch and check “facts”.

Comments are closed.


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