New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in his daily coronavirus briefings presents as a man with a mission and information to relay. Our acting president looks like a man who enjoys hearing himself talk and needs to be the center of attention. The more Americans see of him at the White House’s daily coronavirus mini-rallies, the less they like him. New polling shows his response to the pandemic is damaging Donald Trump’s approval ratings.
A Kaiser Family Foundation poll released Thursday finds that among a host of pandemic information sources, Trump is the least trusted:
Public Policy Polling surveys in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina show Trump’s approval rating buried by governors whom voters overwhelmingly trust more:
Any boost Trump might have temporarily received in his overall approval numbers seems to be wearing off in these three critical swing states as well. Trump won Pennsylvania, Michigan, and North Carolina in 2016 but even during the middle of a crisis he’s under water in all of them- his approval spreads in them are 45/51, 45/49, and 47/48 respectively.
Trump’s modest polling bump last week dissipated quickly and didn’t change the fact he continues to lose to Joe Biden in head-to-head polling. That’s because “The bumpers are not Trumpers,” Democratic strategist Jesse Ferguson told Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report.
Navigator Research finds similar opinions in its survey:
- Corona approval: Trump’s coronavirus approval is underwater, and down 12 points since early last week, from +10 (52–42%) to -2 (47–49%).
- Early mishandling: A full 40% of 2016 Trump voters say he didn’t take coronavirus seriously enough early on, up 17 points since early last week.
- Inadequate response: 51% of Americans say Trump isn’t doing enough right now, up 10 points (from 41%) since early last week.
Navigator reports a 12-point negative swing in registered voters’ perception of his honesty.
All of which leaves Republicans even more nervous about calls for allowing universal voting by mail this November. Politico reports Republicans have launched a multimillion-dollar effort to block pandemic-driven changes to voting rules. Their efforts are being coordinated at the state and local levels in Wisconsin, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Georgia:
The enterprise — which includes more than two dozen GOP officials, including lawyers dedicated entirely to litigation — shows how completely the pandemic has upended the 2020 election. While litigation over voting issues is not uncommon, the coronavirus — and the likely obstacles it will create for voting in November — has brought the issue to the forefront of the campaign.
The public health crisis is already injecting a huge X-factor into the election, with impossible-to-predict effects on voter turnout, and officials in both parties acknowledge the fights over voting laws could affect the outcome of the election.
“I think a lot of people cheat with mail-in voting,” Trump told reporters at the White House Friday without citing evidence. Ari Berman (Give Us the Ballot) rebuts that claim by stating the obvious:
“Trump doesn’t want to let people vote by mail during a pandemic but is fine with people getting coronavirus by going to DMV to get voter ID,” Berman added.
Sen. Michael Bennet (D) of Colorado responded in a tweet, “Mr. President, we’ve had vote by mail in Colorado for years. We don’t have fraud. But we do have the second highest turnout in America.”
Which is why Trump and Republicans oppose it, believing the only legitimate democracy is democracy they can rig. Properly controlled, elections make fine window treatment for authoritarianism.
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For The Win, 3rd Edition is ready for download. Request a copy of my free countywide election mechanics guide at ForTheWin.us. This is what winning looks like.
Note: The pandemic will upend standard field tactics in 2020. If enough promising “improvisations” come my way by June, perhaps I can issue a COVID-19 supplement.