WASHINGTON, D.C. – As Donald Trump and Republican senate candidates struggle with women voters, the Center for American Progress Action Fund has released new polling conducted by Public Policy Polling of New Hampshire, Nevada, and Pennsylvania voters. The polls show the damaging effect of the Donald Trump ticket on Republican senate candidates and the electorate’s strong backing of candidates who support affordable child care and paid leave policies.
Despite Republican Senator Kelly Ayotte’s attempts to distance herself from Trump, the polling of New Hampshire voters found that an overwhelming majority believe the GOP presidential candidate is not a good role model for children and are less likely to back a candidate who supports him.
The sentiment was shared by both Nevada and Pennsylvania voters, particularly key blocs of the electorate. Nearly half of Nevada voters, including 67% of Hispanic and 84% of African American voters, agreed that having Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee makes them less likely to vote for Republican Senate candidate and current congressman Joe Heck in November. A plurality of Pennsylvania voters, including 76% of African American voters, echoed that they were less likely to vote for Senator Pat Toomey because of the Trump nomination.
“There’s no question that women, Hispanics, and African Americans are essential voters in battleground states who are shaping the debate on the ground,” said Angela Kelley, Executive Director of the Center for American Progress Action Fund. “What we’re learning from these elections is that these key blocs of the American electorate want candidates to be on their side, championing equal pay, real affordable child care, and paid leave policies. It’s not enough to say you’re for them or, worse yet, to quietly stand by a presidential candidate whose own track record with women and working families is questionable.”
In fact, a majority of New Hampshire voters – especially women and independents – were less likely to support Ayotte when hearing about her voting to defund Planned Parenthood and block equal pay policies, such as the Paycheck Fairness Act.
Both Nevada and Pennsylvania voters also said they were less likely to support the Republican candidates due to their record of opposition against working family policies. More than half of Nevada Hispanic voters are less likely to support Heck after hearing about his opposition to granting paid family and medical leave to working Nevadans.
Meanwhile, every Democratic senate candidate in each of the three states enjoyed favorability when voters heard about their pro-family policies.
Among other key findings:
New Hampshire Poll
- New Hampshire voters think—by a wide margin—that Donald Trump is not a good role model for children.64% of voters overall say that he is not good role model, including 70% of independents, 38% of Republicans, and 64% of both men and women.
- Majorities of and pluralities of women (55%), men (49%), Democrats (83%), independents (53%), voters ages 18 to 45 (48%), voters ages 46 to 65 (52%), and voters older than 65 (57%) all say they are less likely to vote for Kelly Ayotte after hearing about her voting four times to block the Paycheck Fairness Act in Congress.
- Kelly Ayotte’s votes to defund Planned Parenthood are met with near identical resistance from these groups—women (55%), men (47%), Democrats (79%), independents (56%), voters ages 18 to 45 (48%), voters ages 46 to 65 (49%), and voters older than 65 (57%) say they are less likely to vote for Ayotte because of her efforts to strip federal funding from Planned Parenthood.
Nevada Poll
- Nevada voters view the Republican Party’s nomination of Donald Trump for president as a roadblock to supporting Joe Heck for Senate, despite his disavowal of the nominee.Forty-eight percent of Nevadans say they are less likely to vote for Heck because of his party’s decision to nominate Donald Trump for president. This includes coveted voting blocs – majorities and pluralities of women (43%), men (55%), Democrats (75%), independents (46%), Hispanics (67%), African Americans (84%), voters ages 18 to 45 (61%), and voters ages 46 to 65 (47%).
- Voters from a wide range of demographic groups of Nevada voters reject Joe Heck’s out-of-touch platform for families and women.Majorities of men (61%), Democrats (70%) Hispanics (55%), voters ages 18 to 45 (56%), and voters ages 46 to 65 (52%), and pluralities of women (40%), independents (46%), and voters older than 65 (40%) all say they are less likely to vote for Heck after hearing about his opposition to ensuring paid leave for working Nevada families.
Pennsylvania Poll
- Pennsylvania voters view the Republican Party’s nomination of Donald Trump for president as a roadblock to supporting Pat Toomey for Senate, despite his noncommittal stance on the nominee.Forty-nine percent of Pennsylvanians say they are less likely to vote for Toomey because of his party’s decision to nominate Donald Trump for president. This includes majorities and pluralities of women (46%), men (52%), Democrats (73%), independents (45%), voters ages 18 to 45 (55%), voters ages 46 to 65 (45%), and voters over 65 (49%).
- A similarly diverse group of Pennsylvania voters also reject Pat Toomey’s out-of-touch platform for families and women.Majorities of and pluralities of women (46%), men (62%), Democrats (68%), Republicans (39%), independents (43%), voters ages 18 to 45 (59%), voters ages 46 to 65 (51%), and voters older than 65 (50%) all say they are less likely to vote for Toomey after hearing about his opposition to ensuring paid leave for working Pennsylvania families.