Memo: Democrats Hold Upper Hand On Coronavirus Negotiations

By Sean McElwee and Ethan Winter Data for Progress

Key Findings

  • Voters overwhelmingly desire more spending to address the coronavirus pandemic (53% support more relief, 18% believe there has been enough relief, 12% believe there has been too much)

  • Voters support the core aspects of Democratic relief bills but balk at liability protections for big businesses

We then asked voters if they were more concerned about either conservative Republicans limiting aid or liberal Democrats wanting to spend too much, we found that, among all voters, an 18-percentage-point margin was more concerned about the actions of conservative Republicans. Attitudes were correlated with partisanship. Among voters who self-identify as Democrats, a 59-point margin were more concerned with the actions of conservative Republicans. Among voters who self-identify as Republicans this pattern is mostly reversed with a 33-point margin being more concerned about the possible response of liberal Democrats. 

Guest UserCoronavirus, Taxes and Spending, Economy