How voters feel about the 2024 candidates so far

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With the first primary elections months away, the candidates who aren’t either Joe Biden or Donald Trump all have some ground to make up in terms of favorability and name recognition, according to a new PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll. Despite the historic legal controversy ensnaring Trump and lackluster approval ratings for Biden, the latest numbers suggest the nation would be heading for a rematch if the election were held now — exactly what voters have said they don’t want, according to Republican strategist Whit Ayres. …

This latest poll suggests that most people are still processing what it means to offer care to transgender people seeking a gender transition. But on these issues, “partisanship is driving policies,” said Pearl K. Dowe, a political scientist from Emory University. …

A majority of Americans say they oppose the Supreme Court’s decision a year ago that overturned Roe v. Wade and ended federal protections for abortion. At 57 percent, that attitude has remained virtually unchanged since last June, even as states have passed new laws that restrict access to abortion-related services. CONTINUED

Laura Santhanam, PBS NewsHour

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CBS News poll finds most say colleges shouldn’t factor race into admissions

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The American public feels that many groups face discrimination today and widely believes that racism remains a problem in the country, at least to some degree — but it is more closely divided over affirmative action as a general policy, with a narrow majority supporting it.

Those who feel there’s a lot of discrimination in the country also tend to favor affirmative action in general. But for many of them, that general view doesn’t extend into the particular mechanism of having college admissions consider an applicant’s race. Looking at the pending Supreme Court decision, Americans’ views tilt to a substantial majority against allowing colleges to consider race. CONTINUED

Anthony Salvanto, CBS News

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CBS News poll finds most say Roe’s overturn has been bad for country, half say abortion has been more restricted than expected

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How do people feel about what’s happened in the year since the landmark abortion law Roe v. Wade was overturned?

When Roe v. Wade was struck down a year ago, most Americans disapproved, and today, most feel that decision turned out to be a bad thing for the country generally, because they feel an increased threat to women’s health and rights. Half tell CBS News that abortion access in the U.S. has become more restricted over the past year than they expected. CONTINUED

CBS News

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Inflation, Health Costs, Partisan Cooperation Among the Nation’s Top Problems

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The public’s list of the top problems facing the nation includes inflation, health care affordability, drug addiction and gun violence. Yet the ability of Republicans and Democrats to work together rates about as high on the problems list as these other concerns. And it is one of the few, among 16 problems included, on which there is no partisan divide. …

Inflation remains the top concern for Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, with 77% saying it is a very big problem. The state of moral values, illegal immigration and the budget deficit also are seen as top problems by at least two-thirds of Republicans.

For Democrats and Democratic leaners, gun violence is the top concern, with about eight-in-ten (81%) saying it is a very big problem. The affordability of health care ranks second (73% say this). CONTINUED

Pew Research Center

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Most Say Fundamental Rights Under Threat

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Most Americans are worried that their fundamental freedoms could be at risk according to the Monmouth University Poll. While both Republicans and Democrats express this concern, the rights they focus on are very different. Only 4 in 10 Americans feel our system of government is basically sound and few have a great deal of trust in the judgement of the American people as a whole. Republicans tend to be somewhat more negative than Democrats on these measures, with fully 2 in 3 Republicans continuing to believe that voter fraud determined the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

A majority (55%) of Americans are very concerned that their fundamental rights and freedoms are under threat – with Republicans (63%) being somewhat more likely than Democrats (53%) or independents (51%) to feel this way. Another 29% of the general public is somewhat concerned about threats to their rights and about 1 in 6 is either not too (11%) or not at all (5%) concerned. CONTINUED

Monmouth University Polling Institute

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CNN Poll: Trump’s GOP support appears to soften post-indictment, but he holds lead in primary field

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Former President Donald Trump’s support appears to have softened following his indictment and arrest on federal charges, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS. Most Americans approve of Trump’s indictment stemming from his alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving office, even as 71% say politics played a role in that charging decision.

Though Trump continues to lead the GOP field by a wide margin in the race for the Republican Party’s nomination for president, the poll suggests that his support has declined, as have positive views of him among Republican and Republican-leaning voters. Nearly a quarter now say they would not consider backing his candidacy under any circumstances. The survey also finds that those GOP-aligned voters not currently backing his 2024 bid have different views on his indictment and behavior than those in his corner. CONTINUED

Jennifer Agiesta & Ariel Edwards-Levy, CNN

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