Battleground Bulletin: Americans are sick, jobless and angry. That’s bad news for Donald Trump.
Americans are sick, jobless and angry. That’s bad news for Donald Trump.
There is no doubt these are difficult times in America. More than 100,000 lives have already been lost to a deadly pandemic, with no end in sight. Nearly 43 million people have now lost their jobs and the president has offered no plan to get them back to work. And now, Trump has launched violent attacks against peaceful protestors calling for justice.
As we continue to confront these concurrent crises, new polling reveals that a strong majority of voters in key swing states increasingly feel the country is heading in the wrong direction under Donald Trump — and that doesn’t bode well for the president’s reelection chances in November.
In Priorities USA’s new battleground state survey, conducted by Global Strategy Group and Garin Hart Yang Research Group, 60% of respondents indicated that things in the country have changed for the worse compared with a few years ago, while only 31% felt things have changed for the better. (Worth noting: the survey — which fielded between May 22 and June 1, prior to many of the recent protests — does not necessarily reflect those ongoing events or any effect they may have on voter sentiment.)
This finding represents a significant surge in pessimism about the state of the nation, which is unmatched in any of our previous polling. When we last asked this question in February 2020, respondents were evenly split, with 45% saying things had changed for the better and the same proportion saying things had changed for the worse. At no point since Priorities began tracking the question in early 2019 has the “changed for the worse” number exceeded 54% — a level it hit only once, back in October.
The electorate’s rapidly dimming outlook poses a serious problem for Trump, particularly because most voters don’t believe he possesses the qualities needed to steer the country back in a positive direction.
Roughly two-thirds of survey respondents indicated that Trump does not have the right temperament that the nation needs in a president. By contrast, when asked which candidate would be better at “having the right temperament, and behaving in the way a president should,” voters favor Joe Biden over the president by a massive 23-point margin.
And Trump’s problems don’t stop with his bad behavior. Biden also holds a significant edge on several other key leadership qualities. At a time when the country is yearning for unity, voters view Biden as the candidate more likely to “bring people together and unite the country” by 15 points. In a similar vein, the former vice president also holds a double-digit advantage when voters are asked who would be better at “caring about people like you.”
Biden also continues to hold significant leads on a variety of crucial issues currently facing the country — from making sure people have access to affordable health care to helping middle class and working families to protecting the public’s health in an emergency like the coronavirus pandemic. America needs a turnaround, and people believe Joe Biden can get the job done.
This is going to be a close election, and it is far from over. But voters’ high level of dissatisfaction with the direction of the country, coupled with Biden’s sizable advantage on many of the most important traits voters are seeking in their next leader, exposes several promising messaging lanes that Democrats can utilize between now and November. We look forward to telling you more about it.
Donald Trump’s approval numbers continue to nose dive as it becomes even more clear that the President is unfit for his job. While protesters were crying out for leadership and protesting injustice, Donald Trump hid in the White House while advisors determined the President had nothing to say that would heal the country reeling in pain.
It’s no wonder the Trump campaign is scrambling to increase their spending in states like Arizona, Florida and North Carolina where the President’s advantage has all but evaporated.
Donald Trump is also increasingly worried about his standing in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. After lagging behind in spending in these core states for months, the Trump campaign and their super PAC rushed to increase their ad buy. Even after a sudden influx of spending, Priorities is still outspending Trump campaign entities in key swing states.
The week of 5/17, Priorities spent $1.5 million in key battleground states on TV and digital advertising. The Trump campaign spent about $1 million. In the last week of May, Priorities spent $1.2 million on TV ads alone, spending $417K in Michigan, $407K in Pennsylvania and $335K in Wisconsin.
Priorities has consistently outspent the Trump campaign in battleground states since July 2019:
DONALD TRUMP: “WANNABE DICTATOR”
Donald Trump has never been shy about his affinity for authoritarian leadership. His admiration for tyrants around the world often overshadows his rocky relationship with other democratic leaders.
Trump’s autocratic impulses were on full display when he responded to peaceful protesters with tear gas and flashbangs for a photo-op. Instead of showing even a shred of leadership, Donald Trump chose to respond with racism, division and fear.
Priorities is committed to holding Trump accountable for the damage he continues to inflict on Americans. It is imperative that we call out Donald Trump for the ways he is failing Americans and threatening the foundations of our democracy. Our most recent ad, ‘Antithetical’, is no exception.
‘Antithetical’ is running on TV in battleground states as part of a seven-figure ad buy.
DONALD TRUMP’S AUTHORITARIAN PLAYBOOK
Priorities’ latest bilingual digital ad, ‘Total,’ calls Trump out for his tactics that many Latinos recognize from the repressive regimes led by caudillos, or strongmen. Donald Trump is threatening reporters, militarizing the streets, and weaponizing the Justice Department to exact political vendettas. His administration’s abuse of power is taking cues from a playbook written by castrismo in Cuba and chavismo in Venezuela.
‘Total’ will run in English and Spanish on digital platforms in Florida.
DONALD TRUMP IS FAILING THE LATINO COMMUNITY
Priorities launched new digital advertisements in Spanish as part of our ongoing Latino voter engagement program.
‘Bertha’ is 84 years old and a resident of Florida. The new digital ad, in Spanish and English, focuses on her story and her anger at Donald Trump for putting his narrow political and economic interests ahead of the lives of seniors like her.
‘Pause’ is running online in Spanish and English highlighting Trump’s failure to lead on the coronavirus pandemic response, resulting in over 100,000 Americans losing their lives and millions of Americans losing their jobs and access to health insurance.