In key midterm states, Dem voters move on from abortion, now say protecting democracy top election issue

After Democratic candidates spent the past several months campaigning with laser-focus on abortion, recent polls found Democratic voters in multiple key midterm states say their top concern going into November is "threats to the democracy.

A Marist Poll survey among Pennsylvanians discovered that "preserving democracy" is the top issue to 40% of likely Democrat voters, trumping abortion and inflation. In the state where all eyes are on GOP nominee Dr. Mehmet Oz and Democrat opponent Lt. Gov. John Fetterman as they face off for Pennsylvania's open Senate seat, inflation was the most concerning issue to both Republican and Independent respondents. The poll was conducted among from September 19-22, 2022 with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.

The sudden priority shift within the Democratic Party comes after President Joe Biden claimed in several recent speeches that "extreme MAGA Republicans" are "threats to the democracy." Following Biden's remarks, political polls tracking the country's top midterm races began asking voters where these "threats" ranked in importance among abortion and inflation on their list of most concerning issues.

A Spectrum News/Sienna College poll of likely Wisconsin voters, conducted Sept. 14-15 with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points, found that when deciding which candidate to vote for this fall, "threats to the democracy" was the first or second choice to 40% of likely Democratic voters in the state, while 30% listed it as their top issue.

In Ohio, where J. D. Vance and Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, remain a heated matchup for the state's open Senate seat, a Marist Poll found that "preserving the democracy" is the issue that is top of mind to 39% of likely Democrat voters when deciding which candidate to vote for this fall. Abortion was of most importance to 27%, while inflation ranked highest to only 17% of Democrat respondents after the Consumer Price Index (CPI) found that inflation rose to 8.3% in August. The poll was conducted from Sept. 12-15, with a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.... (Read more)

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