All posts tagged "Swing Voters"

Pollsters are finding that swing voters are increasingly worried about a trending issue that's being overlooked.

Sarah Longwell, a Republican pollster and the publisher of The Bulwark, revealed in a podcast that swing voters are sharing a long list of concerns about AI data centers with pollsters.

The issue is "flying under the radar as a big picture issue for folks in D.C., but I hear it coming up all the time in focus groups," Longwell said. "I know some people are paying attention to this, but I mean, the voters talk about it all the time."...

A significant number of voters in 2025's statewide elections in New Jersey and Virginia voted for Democrats this year despite casting their ballots for President Donald Trump in 2024. Now, some of them are hinting at what types of candidates they aim to support in next year's midterms.

NBC News reported Friday that focus groups interviewing voters who pivoted from Trump to Democrats in New Jersey and Virginia found that while those swing voters were sharply critical of both major parties, they still identified several criteria that they preferred in candidates. The 14 voters themselves are 12 self-described independents, along with one Democrat and one Republican.

According to NBC's report, the group was drawn to Governors-elect Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) and Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) due to their moderate posture. Swing voters viewed more positively than the Democratic Party's tarnished brand, which they described with words like "dishonest," "weak," "unfocused," "self-serving," "wishy-washy" and "ineffective.” And they told interviewers that they voted for Trump in 2024 largely because they viewed him as better-equipped to manage the economy compared to Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, who they described as "unqualified" and "out of touch," per NBC....

Former President Donald Trump could be heading for a much worse performance in November than his poll numbers suggest if, as most experts suspect, he continues winning primaries and takes the GOP nomination again, Republican focus grouper Sarah Longwell told MSNBC's Chris Hayes on Wednesday's edition of "All In."

There are two main reasons why Trump is facing a huge hidden liability, she argued — and both have to do with the fact that voters aren't yet truly processing what a Trump rematch actually means.

"My hypothesis here, and I think there's a lot of evidence for it, is that as soon as voters are forced to start thinking about Donald Trump again, they remember all the reasons they dislike him in the first place," said Hayes. "I'm curious, that's a piping hot take from yours truly. I'm curious what you make of it."...

Former Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri said Tuesday night that the United States will not default because both Republicans and Democrats will be trying to court swing voters ahead of the 2024 election.

Speaking on The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle, McCaskill said she has been intimately involved in similar discussions in the past, and that she knows what's going on behind closed doors. The former senator, who has been critical of Trump in the past, explained that swing voters will cast blame on all in power if they don't reach consensus.

Ruhle asked McCaskill about the "average American" watching the default and debt-ceiling discussions play out....

There's a lot of interesting stuff in this Steve Kornacki piece about whether or not Obama could eke out re-election despite the shitty economy, just because Republicans are hated that much.  I think it's a compelling argument; usually the number one factor in elections is that Americans are incredibly ignorant, on average, about politics and where the parties stand on certain issues, and therefore swing voters just tend to vote yes or no on incumbents depending on their perception of how things are doing right now.  But once in a blue moon, things get so out of control in this world that swing voters actually pay attention, and it's possible that the combination of the crisis situation this country is in and the craziness of the Tea Party could tip the scales.