Georgia focus group: Voters don't know much about Trump or Harris' economic plans
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While Vice President Harris and former President Trump try to win over voters on the economy, some Georgia swing voters don't know much about either candidates' specific proposals, according to Engagious/Sago focus groups on Wednesday.
Why it matters: The economy is consistently the top issue to voters — and both candidates have proposed sweeping plans to try to win votes.
- Some of the 11 Georgia swing voters involved in the focus group could name at least one of Trump or Harris' specific recent economic proposals
- These voters — eight of whom are independents and three are Democrats — backed President Biden in 2020 after voting for Trump in 2016.
Zoom in: Respondents familiar with Trump's recent economic proposals most commonly cited his proposals to ban taxes on tips and raise tariffs on imported goods.
- For Harris, her most known economic policies were her proposals to expand the child tax credit, provide up to $25,000 for down payments for first-time homebuyers and a $50,000 tax break for new small businesses.
Zoom in: When the respondents were shown both candidates' complete economic policies, nine of the 11 candidates said they preferred Harris' economic agenda over Trump's.
- "I have a feeling some of this is going to backfire," respondent Virginia B., 64, who said she plans to vote for Trump, said of the former president's plan.
Between the lines: Seven of the 11 swing voters said they think the economy is in lousy shape, reflecting an overall disconnect with what Americans are feeling and the actual economic conditions.
- But most don't blame the Biden administration for the current conditions they're feeling, they blame the pandemic.
- "Trump blames Biden and Harris for inflation, but economically-stressed swing voters blame the residual effects of the pandemic," said Rich Thau, President of Engagious, who moderated the focus groups.
Reality check: While a focus group is not a statistically significant sample like a poll, the responses show how some voters are thinking and talking about current events.
Go deeper: Inside Harris' delicate balancing act on the economy
