Florida voters sour on state of nation

Mask mandates are Image via AP.

Voters in Florida made their pick for president while holding negative views about the country’s direction, according to an expansive AP survey of the American electorate.

The race between President Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden concluded Tuesday as the nation remains in the throes of a global public health crisis and mired in the economic downturn it brought on. AP VoteCast found that 42% of Florida voters said the U.S. is on the right track and 57% of voters said it is headed in the wrong direction.

Here’s a snapshot of who voted and what matters to them, based on preliminary results from AP VoteCast, a nationwide survey of about 133,000 voters and nonvoters — including 3,698 voters and 792 nonvoters in Florida — conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago.

Trump vs. Biden

In the race for president, Biden was preferred over Trump among voters under 45 while older voters were more likely to support Trump over Biden.

Latino voters modestly preferred Biden. Black voters were more likely to prefer Biden over Trump. White voters were more likely to back Trump over Biden.

Voters without a college degree modestly preferred Trump over Biden but college-educated voters were divided between Trump and Biden.

Biden led Trump among voters in cities. Trump had an edge among suburban voters. Trump led among voters in small towns and rural areas.

Facing the pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic has spread through the U.S. for roughly eight months, killing more than 230,000 Americans. Overall, 22% of voters said the virus in the U.S. is completely or mostly under control, and 31% said it’s somewhat under control. Forty-seven percent of voters think the coronavirus is not at all under control in this country.

On the issues

The coronavirus pandemic was top of mind for many voters in Florida. Forty percent said it is the most important issue facing the country today.

Voters also considered the economy a major issue, with 29% saying it ranked at the top.

Nine percent named health care, 7% named racism and 4% named law enforcement.

National economy

Voters were slightly negative in their assessments of the nation’s economy. Overall, 46% described economic conditions in the U.S. as excellent or good, and 54% called them not so good or poor.

Staying at home

Among registered voters who chose not to cast a ballot in Florida, 24% said that was because they don’t like politics generally, 22% said they don’t like the candidates and 16% said their vote doesn’t matter.

In Florida, 63% of nonvoters were younger than 45 and 78% did not have a college degree.

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Republished with permission from the Associated Press.