USA TODAY International Edition
4 in 10 Ohio voters open to impeachment
Poll not great news for Trump, Republicans
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio will see a “Trump effect” in the Nov. 6 election, but will it be Democrats or Republicans who benefit? A new Suffolk University/Enquirer poll found some good news for Democrats in Ohio: President Donald Trump’s approval rating – 41 percent – hasn’t significantly changed since June. 41percent of likely voters say the House should consider impeaching Trump. Nearly half say they’re casting their ballots to change the direction Trump’s leading the nation. But there was also some good news for Ohio Republicans: More voters say they are casting their ballots in November to support Trump. That’s why Trump came to southwest Ohio on Friday night, to gin up the base and boost enthusiasm for Republicans to vote in November. And that’s why Ohio Democrats are trying to pin Ohio’s Republican candidates for governor, Senate and Congress to the unpopular president. The Suffolk University/Enquirer poll surveyed 500 likely voters on landlines and cellphones from Oct. 4 to Oct. 8 – around the time Judge Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The poll has a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points. The poll also showed a more Democratic-leaning electorate than in 2016. Respondents said they voted in 2016 for Hillary Clinton over Trump by 6 percentage points; Trump carried the state by 8 points. Suffolk pollster David Paleologos attributed the Democratic shift to Trump’s unpopularity and a less exciting U.S. Senate race between incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown and Republican Rep. Jim Renacci. “Right now, it doesn’t seem like there’s any red meat for Republicanleaning independents and straight independents to come out and vote,” Paleologos said.
Republican enthusiasm
Paleologos said the Ohio poll reflects a trend in other states: Trump’s approval ratings experienced a small bump in recent weeks surrounding the Kavanaugh hearings, and Republicans will vote for him, even if they don’t like some of the things he says. Among Republicans, 83 percent said Trump has kept his campaign promises, compared to just 15 percent of Democrats. And while just 43 percent of likely Ohio voters said they support Trump’s nomination of Kavanaugh, 80 percent of Republicans said they backed the new justice. “There’s some things I don’t like about Trump – if he would just know when to keep his mouth shut,” said Mary Anne Weber, 87, of Cincinnati’s College Hill neighborhood, one of those polled. “I think many people think the same thing.” But Weber voted for Trump, still supports him and will vote for Republicans in November because the president is keeping his promises, she said. “I think his heart’s in the right place, and he’s trying to do the right thing,” Weber said. “I think he’s doing the best he can.”
Anti-Trump vote
Trump remains a major campaign issue among Democrats: 32 percent say Trump is the No. 1 issue in the election for U.S. Senate. (The survey didn’t include Trump as a factor when asking about the governor’s race.) And 70 percent of Democrats polled say the House should seriously consider impeaching Trump. Christine Mulk, 64 of Columbus, also among those polled, doesn’t affiliate with either party. But she doesn’t like Trump’s behavior and wishes his fellow Republicans would condemn it. Mulk said she views the midterm election as a way to push back against Trump and a referendum on the Republican Party in general. “I don’t like the negative things he says about people. I don’t like the constant lying or disrespect for women or other racial groups,” Mulk said. “I just feel like he’s this figurehead who’s there to allow the Republicans to push through what they want.” The GOP tax cuts also didn’t have cross-party appeal in the poll. More than half of respondents said that the tax cuts have made no difference on their family finances, while 30 percent say their finances have improved, and 16 percent said the tax cuts have made things worse. “The composition of the independents in this poll in Ohio is telling me they’re not the same independents who voted in the 2016 presidential election. Could that change? Sure,” Paleologos said.