Harris voters driven by democracy; Trump supporters by inflation, immigration
Voters for Kamala Harris and Donald Trump who cast their ballots for Tuesday’s presidential election had vastly different motivations — reflecting a broader national divide on the problems the United States faces.
AP VoteCast, an extensive survey of more than 115,000 voters nationwide, found that the fate of democracy appeared to be a primary driver for Vice President Harris’ supporters. It was a sign that the Democratic nominee’s messaging in her campaign’s closing days accusing Trump of being a fascist may have broken through.
By contrast, Trump’s supporters were largely focused on immigration and inflation — two issues that the former Republican president has been hammering since the start of his campaign. Trump has pledged that tariffs would bring back factory jobs and that greater domestic oil production would flow through the economy and lower prices.
The conflicting views set up a challenge for whoever wins the election to lead the world’s premier economic and military power. Voters saw the qualities of each candidate differently. They were more likely to describe Trump as a strong leader than they were Harris, but she had an edge over him in being seen as having the moral character needed to be president.
Candidates raise an array of issues but voters focus on a few
About two-thirds of Harris voters said the future of democracy was the most important factor for their votes. No other topic — high prices, abortion policy, the future of free speech in the country or the potential to elect the first female president — was as big a factor for her backers.
Trump voters were more motivated by economic issues and immigration. About half said high prices were the biggest issue factoring into their election decisions. About as many said that of the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border. Only about one-third of Trump’s voters said democracy was the most important factor for their vote.
About 1 in 4 said the assassination attempts against Trump were the most important factor in their vote, and about 1 in 10 said that about the legal cases against him. Those were secondary issues for Trump’s voters, though.
Trump’s proposed tariffs on allies and enemies alike as well as mass deportation of unauthorized immigrants resonated with his supporters. About half of his backers labelled the economy and jobs as the top issue facing the country, while about one-third said the top issue was immigration.
Harris’s base, by contrast, was focused on a broader range of issues. About 3 in 10 called the economy a top issue, while about 2 in 10 said abortion and about 1 in 10 named health care or climate change.
Most Trump and Harris voters are motivated to support of their candidate
Both candidates generated loyalty among their coalitions, a change from four years ago when Trump was ousted from the White House by Joe Biden.
In 2020, about half of Biden’s backers said their vote for him was cast in opposition to Trump, and about half said their vote was for Biden. This year, roughly two-thirds of Harris voters said they were motivated to vote in favor of her. Only about one-third were voting in opposition to Trump.
Enthusiasm for Trump within his base held steady. Similar to in 2020, about 8 in 10 Trump voters said they cast their ballot in a sign of support for him, rather than to simply oppose his opponent.
Voters give Harris an edge on moral character, and Trump on being a strong leader
About 6 in 10 said Harris has the mental capability to serve effectively as president, compared to about half who said that about Trump. However, voters were roughly split over whether either candidate could handle a crisis. They were similarly divided over who would bring positive change.
Trump’s supporters want an upheaval, while Harris’ favors change
About 4 in 10 Trump voters said they favoured a “complete and total upheaval″ in how the country is run. That answer suggests potential support for a dramatic reshaping of the federal government that Trump has pledged to achieve by stripping away regulations, bringing more federal agencies under his direct control and reworking the tax code.
Slightly fewer than 2 in 10 Harris supporters saw the need for a complete upheaval, although most did not want to maintain the status quo. Majorities of both candidates’ backers said they would like to see substantial change, but Harris’ voters were more likely to say they favoured a small amount of change.
AP
Photo by Reuters
