Mitch McConnell’s Obama Obstruction Is Killing Trump In New Swing State Poll

Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 07:07 pm

Mitch McConnell’s scheme of obstructing President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee has backfired and is harming Donald Trump in a new poll of six critical swing states.

A PPP poll of Arizona, Iowa, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin found:
Voters in all six states, by margins ranging from 5 to 23 points, say they don’t trust Donald Trump to
nominate a Supreme Court justice. Voters in WI (34% trust Trump, 57% don’t) and in the home of
Judiciary Committee Chair Charles Grassley of IA (35% trust Trump, 52% don’t) are particularly
skeptical of Trump’s ability to name a Justice.

Beyond simply not trusting Trump, voters in all six states clearly say that they *do* trust President
Obama with the responsibility of making a Supreme Court selection, especially in contrast to Trump. In
the key Presidential battlegrounds of Iowa, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin Obama
has at least a 9 point advantage over Trump on that question in every state.

To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.

One chart tells the whole story:

Mitch McConnell thought that he could use the obstruction of Merrick Garland’s Supreme Court nomination to motivate Republicans to support their nominee. Instead, Trump won the nomination and voters who doubt Trump’s competency are demanding that President Obama gets to choose the next Supreme Court Justice.

The whole plan could not have backfired more. McConnell has hurt both the Republican Party and Donald Trump’s candidacy. It isn’t like Trump needed any help in screwing up this election, but Majority Leader McConnell has provided a big assist to Democrats by engaging in the kind of obstructionism that has made the obstruction of Merrick Garland about Trump’s fitness for the White House.

McConnell’s gamble has backfired and is helping Democrats make the argument for a Hillary Clinton White House and a Democratic-controlled Senate.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association