Trump support on Iran…Pa. Focus group….

• That was a main takeaway from our Engagious/FPG focus group this week, which included 11 people who flipped from Barack Obama in 2012 to Trump in 2016.
• The focus group session was held on Monday, a day before Iran’s retaliatory strikes.
• While a focus group is not a statistically significant sample like a poll, these responses show how some voters are thinking and talking about the 2020 election in crucial counties.

Between the lines: This small group of voters in a key state told us that national security issues are even more important to their 2020 vote than the economy, presenting a potential dilemma for Trump if the conflict doesn’t end with Iran’s retaliatory strikes.

• But that also suggests there’s a potential for a greater political upside for the president on the Iran issue, because he’ll get a lot of credit from these folks if the U.S. and Iran succeed in de-escalating the crisis.
• In fact, some indicated they’re slightly more likely to vote for him again in 2020 — even if we did enter a war with Iran.
• When asked what these voters like about the president politically, a handful said things like, “He tells it like it is” and “he takes the bull by the horns.”

What they’re saying: “I respect his decision. He’s our president. He knows more than we know and you just have to trust that it’s in the best interest of us people to do something like that,” said 51-year-old Ron B….

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