A popular theory for President Donald Trump's Republican popularity appears to be incorrect, The Washington Post is reporting.
The newspaper noted that the theory is he's so popular among GOP voters because Trump-skeptical Republicans have just given up on the party. With all the skeptics gone, there's only a unanimous core.
But the Post, citing a Gallup analysis released Tuesday, said the figures just don't back that up.
According to Gallup, 30% identify as Democrats and 28% identify as Republicans. The rest are independents, although most vote consistently for one party or the other.
And Gallup noted in its report: "As the 2020 presidential election campaign gets underway in earnest, Americans' party leanings are the same as they were in 2016, indicating the Trump era has not fundamentally altered the U.S. political landscape.
"Given that Trump was able to prevail in 2016 when Democrats held a five-point advantage in party preferences, other factors — particularly voter turnout — will help decide which party wins the presidency in 2020.
"Voter turnout will be especially crucial in states that Trump won or lost narrowly in 2016, most notably three Rust Belt states he won [Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania] that the GOP had lost in the six previous presidential elections."
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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