Some Iowa voters are so scared to criticize Trump that they say they will support him but plan to vote against the former president.
NBC News reported:
NBC News spoke to more than a half-dozen Iowa voters turned off by Trump — but some were anxious about talking on the record out of fear of being shunned by friends or family. One Iowan said they plan on saying they caucused for Trump when asked by members of their community but will actually caucus for Vivek Ramaswamy.
That adds up to signs going unplaced on front lawns, conversations with friends and family about other candidates avoided — and fewer opportunities for opposition to Trump to take hold in different Republican communities.
For a person who lives in a red area in a small town or city, the possibility of voters lying about supporting Trump as described in Iowa is very likely. Some Republicans are so afraid of Trump and his supporters that they won’t put signs up supporting a different Republican, and they definitely won’t be letting their neighbors know that they might not vote or that they might vote for President Biden in a general election.
Trump is ruling all of the Republican Party with fear. The campaign of fear isn’t limited to Republican politicians or the RNC. It trickles down to the voters.
The consequence of people lying about supporting Trump is people are likely lying to pollsters.
For years, suspicion has been growing that one of the problems with polling is that some respondents may vote differently than they respond to polling questions.
None of this means that Donald Trump will lose in Iowa or the Republican nomination. Trump has a death grip on both.
It does mean that Trump, who is believing the polls, might be setting himself up for another failure. Trump’s political strength with the American general electorate has been overestimated for years, and it could be happening again in 2024.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
