Most Voters Back Stricter Gun Control Measures After Buffalo — and Many See White Nationalism as a Critical Threat

· Leave a Comment

Following Saturday’s mass shooting in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Buffalo, N.Y., that authorities say was racially motivated, a new Morning Consult survey shows most voters continue to support stricter gun-control measures, though that level of backing has declined since President Joe Biden took office last year.

What’s more, the level of anxiety over white nationalism and the threat it poses to the country — though ample — also has not returned to the heights hit in late 2019 after a similar shooting in El Paso, Texas. CONTINUED

Eli Yokley, Morning Consult

The OPINION TODAY email newsletter is a concise daily rundown of significant new poll results and insightful analysis. It’s FREE. Sign up here: opiniontoday.substack

Sometimes, a political party needs to listen to the voters

· Leave a Comment

… Purely from an electoral point of view, there is no problem with the Democratic Party standing for equal rights, addressing poverty and racism, promoting public safety and modern approaches to policing, addressing climate change, promoting immigration and supporting abortion rights.

The great majority of Democrats and many swing voters support those initiatives. …

Democrats can spend time complaining that the Senate is stacked against them, that redistricting has limited their opportunities in the House and that Manchin and Sinema haven’t supported everything the president has proposed. And they can whine about Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Or, they can figure out how to frame their agenda in a way that appeals to swing voters and yet also signals to progressives that party leaders share their overall goals and priorities.

There is one more thing the Democrats need — some moxie. CONTINUED

Stuart Rothenberg, Roll Call

The OPINION TODAY email newsletter is a concise daily rundown of significant new poll results and insightful analysis. It’s FREE. Sign up here: opiniontoday.substack

Trump waded into GOP primaries. Democrats hope he sticks around.

· Leave a Comment

… Democrats are largely still trying to settle on exactly what role Trump should play in their campaigns as they defend razor-thin majorities in the House and Senate this fall.

But there is a growing acknowledgement that leveraging voters’ lingering distaste from the Trump years may be among their best strategies for turning out their voters in November, particularly with their policy agenda falling short in areas like lowering the cost of prescription drugs and passing voting rights legislation. ….

Polling has circulated among Democrats, including the White House, that indicated the term “MAGA” resonated with independent and moderate Republican voters, particularly those in the suburbs, according to a source familiar with the White House strategy. CONTINUED

Shannon Pettypiece & Scott Wong, NBC News

The OPINION TODAY email newsletter is a concise daily rundown of significant new poll results and insightful analysis. It’s FREE. Sign up here: opiniontoday.substack

Americans cite inflation as their top concern

· Leave a Comment

The first of seven polls that will comprise the FiveThirtyEight/Ipsos 2022 Election Tracking Survey finds that inflation is the top concern for American adults. Many report facing negative financial impacts due to rising prices, and in turn, say they have had to make major changes to how they live their life. The poll also explores perceived causes of rising prices and whether the public and private sector should prioritize keeping prices low or employment high. CONTINUED

Chris Jackson, James Diamond & Johnny Sawyer, Ipsos

The OPINION TODAY email newsletter is a concise daily rundown of significant new poll results and insightful analysis. It’s FREE. Sign up here: opiniontoday.substack

10 Republican Voters in Swing States on Trump’s Hold on the Party

· Leave a Comment

The nostalgia was powerful, and came with a twist.

In the latest Times Opinion focus group, 10 Republican voters in swing states wished for an America before 8 percent inflation, before high gas prices, before the Ukraine war. Wished for a leader they saw as strong, commanding, feared. Wished for a party that, in the words of one, “put America first again.”

They wished, in other words, for a return of President Donald Trump.

But here’s the twist: When asked if they felt it was extremely important to vote for someone this year who embraces Mr. Trump’s agenda, eight of the 10 Republicans raised their hands. A few seconds later, when asked if it was extremely important to vote for someone who has the same style and personality as Mr. Trump, no one raised a hand. CONTINUED

Patrick Healy & Adrian J. Rivera, New York Times

The OPINION TODAY email newsletter is a concise daily rundown of significant new poll results and insightful analysis. It’s FREE. Sign up here: opiniontoday.substack

GOP blame game erupts in Pennsylvania governor’s race

· Leave a Comment

The election isn’t until Tuesday, but the blame game is already well underway.

With far-right state Sen. Doug Mastriano on the verge of capturing the Pennsylvania GOP gubernatorial nomination, Republicans are lashing out, furious that he could cost them a shot at a competitive race in the perennial swing state.

Last-ditch efforts to stop Mastriano seemed doomed from the start. But the final blow likely came on Saturday, when former President Donald Trump threw his support behind Mastriano, who has been one of the chief boosters of conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and was also at the Capitol on Jan. 6. CONTINUED

Holly Otterbein & Zach Montellaro, Politico

The OPINION TODAY email newsletter is a concise daily rundown of significant new poll results and insightful analysis. It’s FREE. Sign up here: opiniontoday.substack