FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—President Joe Biden’s efforts to deflect blame for the border crisis and high cost of living aren’t working with swing voters, according to new polling from Echelon Insights.
An even higher percentage view his administration as a failure.
The survey of 2,401 registered voters in six battleground states—shared exclusively with The Daily Signal—reveals key insights about swing voters, a segment of the U.S. population who aren’t strongly aligned with either political party.
Asked to rate the Biden administration, 65% of swing voters described it as a failure. A majority of Hispanic men, young voters (18-35), and married women also give the Biden administration a failing grade.
The poll finds 59% of swing voters blame Biden’s policies for the crisis at the southern border, compared with 23% who say it’s due to factors outside of his control, while 18% are unsure or don’t view it as a problem.
On the issue of inflation and the high cost of living, 51% of swing voters blame Biden’s policies. According to the survey, 37% think the problem is outside of Biden’s control, while 13% are unsure or don’t view it as a problem.
Of the issues surveyed, violent crime is the only one that a majority of swing voters don’t blame on Biden’s policies. In that specific case, 38% attribute a rise in crime to Biden, compared with 39% who think it’s not his doing.
These issues are regularly cited as Americans’ top concerns. They are also contributing to a gloomy outlook on America’s future and have resulted in Biden’s dismal disapproval rating.
Echelon Insights conducted the survey for The Heritage Foundation in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
When asked about the 2024 presidential election, swing voters give former President Donald Trump higher marks on America’s biggest issues: addressing immigration and border security, ensuring a strong U.S. economy, maintaining world peace, bringing down the high cost of living, keeping their families safe, supporting the middle class, instilling confidence in America, and protecting rights and freedoms.
Biden outperformed Trump on just two issues: health care costs and student loan debt.
Trump’s dominance on a wide range of policy issues translates into a strong showing in five of the six states where the survey was conducted. Trump leads in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. Biden had the edge in Wisconsin.
A whopping 73% of swing voters in those six states disapprove of Biden’s job performance, compared with 40% for Trump. In each of the individual states, Trump holds the advantage.
When asked to rate a conservative governing agenda compared against a liberal agenda, swing voters in all six states favored a plan that grows the economy, reduces the cost of living, cuts government spending, secures the border, and implements tougher penalties for violent criminals.
The conservative agenda performed best in Michigan, followed closely by Georgia.
Swing voters cited the high cost of living as a major concern, worrying about the economic future of their kids, ability to save for retirement, and the cost of health care.
With a national debt of more than $34 trillion and government spending exploding on Biden’s watch, these voters are more receptive to spending cuts than other ideas such as combating corporate greed and junk fees or increasing taxes on wealthy Americans.
On the issue of border security, swing voters are more likely than the overall population to worry about social services being stretched thin. They also cite drug trafficking and rising crime as problems connected to the massive influx of illegal aliens.
Some of the Trump administration’s priorities—instituting the Remain in Mexico policy, completing the U.S.-Mexico border wall, and closing the southern border to asylum seekers—rate positively among swing voters.
The survey also asked swing voters about education and the role of parents. By a significant margin, 63% to 30%, they think parents are in the best position to address controversial issues, such as sexuality, with their children.
Echelon Insights conducted the survey March 12-19 among approximately 400 voters in each of the six states. It has a margin of error of +/-2.3 percentage points overall.