New Polling from Priorities USA Finds Broad Support for Biden Agenda on COVID-19 Relief
Washington, DC — Priorities USA is in the midst of a large research project examining the 2020 election and helping to chart a path forward for Democrats. Priorities will be releasing results from this research over the coming weeks. The first finding to be released is the broad support among battleground swing voters for President Biden’s COVID-19 response package despite the fact that Republicans in Congress have refused to back the effort.
- Voters understand the urgent need for economic relief and the importance of adequately addressing the crisis. 66% of battleground swing voters are more concerned that the government won’t do enough to help small businesses and families hurting economically due to COVID-19, including 58% of voters who supported Trump and Democrats down ballot and 71% of Biden voters who voted for a Republican down ballot. In a separate survey, among voters that turned out to vote for Biden in 2020 but who didn’t vote in 2016, coronavirus relief was a top priority.
72% of battleground swing voters want Biden to focus on doing things that help as many people as possible as quickly as possible, even if that means doing so without Republican support. Even 74% of Clinton-to-Trump voters and 70% of voters who supported Trump and a Democrat down ballot hold this view. Voters who chose Biden and a Republican down ballot agreed at 78%.
Voters believe that Biden’s commitment to unity does not require only pursuing policies that Republicans in Congress will support. When asked about President Biden’s promise to unite the country, 57% say it’s more important that Biden lowers the temperature of political debate by treating Republican leaders with respect, while only 14% say that Biden should only push legislation as long as it can win Republican votes in Congress. A majority of Clinton to Trump voters and Trump – Democrat voters agreed.
75% of voters support the $1.9 trillion dollar relief package, including 61% of Clinton-Trump voters, 84% of Trump to Biden voters and 69% of voters who voted for Trump and a Democrat down ballot. 83% of Biden voters who also voted for Republicans down ballot support the economic relief plan.
“Americans are united in wanting President Biden to act quickly to help as many people as possible during this time of need,” said Priorities USA Chairman Guy Cecil. “While it’s important that President Biden is lowering the temperature and reaching out to Republicans, the American people want him to move forward with a bold Covid relief package, even if it means doing so without Republican Congressional support. Despite the divisions in Congress, this legislation has united the rest of the country. The only possible takeaway from this research is that Biden is doing the absolute right thing and Republicans in Congress are out of touch with the needs of their own constituents.”
Priorities USA raised and spent more than $250 million during the 2020 cycle and was the largest outside supporter of the Biden-Harris campaign. Priorities continues to be focused on protecting the right to vote in light of ongoing voter suppression efforts, defending the Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, and supporting the Biden agenda.
About This Poll
Global Strategy Group and Garin-Hart-Yang conducted this poll online February 3-15, 2021, with a total sample of 800 swing voters across eight states: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Swing voters in these states were screened into the full survey if they either exhibited ticket-splitting or party switching behavior across elections in 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022 (covering a mix of House, Senate, and presidential votes), or self-reported ticket-splitting on other races during that period.