The NY Times sits down with people who voted for Trump last time ,..
We get a snapshot of them and why some of them have changed their minds…
For some, the disenchantment started almost as soon as Donald J. Trump took office. For others, his handling of the coronavirus and social unrest turned them away. For all of them, it’s highly unlikely they will vote for him again.
These voters, who backed Mr. Trump in 2016 but say there’s “not really any chance” they will this year, represent just 2 percent of all registered voters in the six states most likely to decide the presidency, according to New York Times/Siena College polls. But they help explain why the president faces a significant deficit nationwide and in the battleground states.
“I think if he weren’t such an appalling human being, he would make a great president, because I think what this country needs is somebody who isn’t a politician,” said Judith Goines, 53, a finance executive at a home building company in Fayetteville, N.C. “But obviously with the coronavirus and the social unrest we’re dealing with, that’s where you need a politician, somebody with a little bit more couth.”
“I’m ashamed to say that I’ve voted for him,” said Ms. Goines, who described herself as a staunch Republican.
Whom 2016 Trump Voters in Battleground States Say They’ll Support in 2020
86% Supporting Trump again in 2020
6% Don’t support Trump but say there’s “some chance” of voting for him again
6% “Not really any chance” of supporting Trump
2% Don’t support Trump, don’t know if they can vote for him again
These 2016 Trump voters might not all be considered part of the president’s base — many were not enthusiastic about him four years ago. As 6 percent of battleground-state Trump voters, they are just a sliver of the overall electorate. Also, 2 percent of battleground-state voters who supported Hillary Clinton in 2016 say they will vote for Mr. Trump.
But Trump defectors play an outsize role in the president’s challenge. He won by a narrow margin in 2016, and he has made limited efforts to broaden his appeal. Even a modest erosion in his support imperils his re-election chances. Another 6 percent of Trump voters in these states say they no longer support Mr. Trump, while allowing “some chance” that they’ll vote for him again.
A majority of the defectors disapprove of his performance on every major issue, except the economy, according to the Times/Siena polls. Somewhat surprisingly, they are demographically similar to the voters who continue to support him. They are only marginally likelier to be women or white college graduates….
I wonder about tjat 2% of Hillary voters who are going for Trump now.
My guess is they are Republicans who feared Trump would be sone kind of secret Democrat and figured as much as they hate Hillary she was at least mentally stable.
Now that Trump has been shown to be as suppprtive of tax cuts for the rich and opposed to a woman controlling her own body as any conservative Republican they are back in the fold.
Thankfully it’s a very small number of voters goimg from D to R this year. Dwarfed by those shifting from R to D.