Swing voter focus groups: Shutdown blowback for Dems
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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Georgia swing voters in our latest Engagious/Sago focus groups expressed frustration with Democrats for dragging out a federal government shutdown only to end it without a guarantee from Republicans to offset rising health insurance premiums.
Why it matters: Even some voters who backed President Trump last November look to Democrats to protect health care affordability and the social safety net for lower-income Americans.
What they're saying: Seven of the 13 Biden-to-Trump Georgia swing voters in this week's panels said Democrats came out of the shutdown looking worse than Republicans. Two said Republicans look worse and four said both parties look equally bad.
- "They gave in to the Republicans," Trilya M., 53, of Loganville, said of Democrats. "They did not stand their ground with them, and now it's going to affect the people that [have] the Affordable Care Act."
- "It was for what?" said Christine L., 54, of Peachtree City. "It really does make them look bad."
- "They always project to be a party of the people who they care about, the disenfranchised, the people who are in poverty ... but their actions contradict it, they don't really care," said Elijah T, 33, of Conyers.
- "Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries beat the heck out of this and wasted 41 days dragging their feet before eight Democrats finally decided enough is enough," said Brian B., 61, of Norcross.
"Democrats gave swing voters — who already hold the party in profoundly low esteem — yet another reason to mistrust them," said Rich Thau, President of Engagious, who moderated the focus groups.
The big picture: Eight of the 13 said they still approve of the administration's actions on balance since Trump's return to office in January.
- The five who expressed overall disapproval cited inflation, high food costs, a bad job market, over-the-top immigration enforcement and their sense that Trump and his team aren't approaching their governing role seriously.
How it works: Axios observed two online focus groups Tuesday night with 13 Georgia voters who backed Joe Biden in 2020, then Donald Trump in 2024. Nine are independents, three are Republicans, and one is a Democrat.
- A focus group is not a statistically significant sample like a poll, but the responses show how some voters are thinking and talking about current events.
Zoom in: 11 of the 13 said they were aware of Democrats' victories in key off-year contests this month in jurisdictions including Virginia, New Jersey, California and New York City.
- Asked what lessons Republicans should take from the defeats, their advice included spending more money in races against Democrats, appealing more to the political center, "don't rest on your laurels" and "get a better stance on what's going on and what people want to have done."
- Their advice to Democrats: "Don't go too woke," "follow through with your promises." One voter noted that "midterms are never determined by these special elections."
What we're watching: 10 of the 13 said they would support a constitutional amendment to set an upper age limit for future U.S. presidents, with most advocating an age limit of between 65 and 75.
