Swing voters support age limit for presidents and oppose MTG run in 2028
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Participants in Axios' latest Engagious/Sago swing-voter focus groups say they don't think U.S. Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene should run for president and that there should be an age limit for people who lead the nation's highest office.
- But they struggled with narrowing down what that age should be.
Why it matters: The question about how old is too old to be president isn't new, as former President Ronald Reagan — who was 77 upon leaving office — faced similar scrutiny.
- But the public's attention to a president's cognitive abilities has increased exponentially in recent years, particularly after former President Joe Biden, 82, struggled to speak coherently during last year's presidential debate.
- President Trump, 79, who was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency and underwent an MRI last month, has been caught on camera appearing to fall asleep.
Driving the news: Axios observed two online focus groups Tuesday night with 13 Georgia voters who backed Biden in 2020 and Trump in 2024.
- Nine were independents, three were Republicans and one was a Democrat.
Caveat: A focus group is not a statistically significant sample, but the responses can give an indication of how voters think about current events.
What we found: 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 that limit range between 65 and 75.
- "The levels of cognitive decline as people get older is always a concern, especially with someone who is supposed to be representing the United States," said Peachtree City swing voter Christine L, adding that even Trump is "slowing down."
The intrigue: When asked, none of the voters said they wanted to see U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) run for president in 2028.
- An ardent MAGA and Trump supporter, Greene has in recent months clashed with GOP leaders over their handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and the government shutdown.
- She also warned Republicans they could face backlash next year over rising health care costs.
- Brian B., who lives in Norcross, said he did not think Greene has the "temperament" to be president.
- "I believe the only reason she's even entertaining more liberal ideologies is because she's looking to run because she's self-serving," said Duluth voter Hannah W. "It's not for the people; it's for Marjorie."
The fine print: Voters were also shown unlabeled photos of 12 current or former elected officials in Georgia who are running to be the next governor or U.S. senator.
- Most swing voters couldn't identify most of the people in the photos.
- The most identifiable was Greene, with 10 voters knowing her name.
- She was followed by U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff (9) and former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (5).
- Despite receiving national attention for denouncing Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan were unknown to almost all of the voters.
- Two people knew Raffensperger and just one voter could name Duncan.