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Poll: 10% of Trump voters could withhold support over vaping ban

In this image, Trump rests a hand against his face while sitting.
Trump at a Cabinet session on youth vaping and e-cigarettes on Nov 22. 2019. Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

About 10% of President Trump's 2016 voters said they would be less likely to vote for a 2020 presidential candidate that backs a flavored e-cigarette ban, a Morning Consult poll published Wednesday shows.

Why it matters: The Trump administration has been weighing a federal ban on almost all flavored vaping products since September. At least 47 people have died from a lung injury associated with e-cigarette use in 25 states.

Yes, but: 51% of Trump's 2016 voters said they strongly support banning flavored e-cigarettes in a Morning Consult poll conducted right after the administration floated a ban in September. 26% of his 2016 voters said they supported a ban "somewhat."

The state of play: Conservative leaders have shared data with the White House that claims adults who vape will turn on Trump if a flavored product ban goes forward, but their case has included unsubstantiated assumptions about adult vapers and depicted them as single-issue voters.

  • Of note: Several 2016 battleground states with high GOP win margins also had a higher estimated number of adult vapers than states that went blue, per a 2018 study.

Methodology: The Morning Consult's survey used a sample of 677 Trump voters out of 1,988 total voters, with a margin of error of 4%.

The bottom line: Massachusetts became the first state to outlaw flavored tobacco and vaping products on Wednesday, as other temporary state bans work through the courts.

Go deeper: GOP allies warn vaping ban will sink Trump in 2020

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