A Majority of Voters Agree With Charges Against Trump in Georgia
By Rob Todaro
On August 14, former President Donald Trump and 18 of his allies were indicted in Fulton County, Georgia, on 41 counts in connection with their efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in that state, including charges of racketeering and pressuring public officials. Trump is the first former president in U.S. history to be indicted on criminal charges and has now been indicted four times this year — and twice this month alone.
New Data for Progress polling finds that a majority of likely voters (54%), including 57% of Independents, approve of the grand jury's decision to indict Trump for conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia. However, 75% of Republicans disapprove of the grand jury’s decision — an identical figure to the number of Republicans who disapprove of the third indictment. Additionally, 54% of Independents think Trump's indictments will hurt his chances in the November 2024 presidential election.
Among voters who identify as “moderate Republicans,” a majority disapprove of the fourth indictment and think the charges are politically driven to attack Trump. However, unlike other groups of Republicans who overwhelmingly side with Trump, more than 1 in 3 moderate Republicans approve of the indictment (36%) and think the charges are appropriate to hold Trump accountable (34%).
Even though the specifics of Trump’s indictments vary case by case, impressions of them continue to be driven by partisanship. A majority of Democrats and Independents approve of the latest indictment and think the charges are appropriate to hold Trump accountable, while at least 3 in 4 Republican voters disapprove of the latest indictment and think the charges are politically motivated to attack Trump.
Rob Todaro (@robtodaro) is the Communications Director at Data for Progress.