Most Democrat voters agree with Hillary Clinton that Russia is to blame for her loss to Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election, while fears that Russia is interfering in U.S. politics remain widespread, according to a new Rasmussen Reports survey.
The poll, taken of 1,000 likely voters on April 14 and April 17, showed that 72% of the Democrats questioned think it's likely the outcome of the Clinton-Trump race was affected by Russian interference, reports Rasmussen.
The opinion is shared by just 30% of Republicans and 39% of voters who are not affiliated with either side, the poll revealed.
Clinton in 2020 told MSNBC's Joy Reid that it is "very clear that Russia succeeded" in affecting the election, and moving forward, CNN reported last week that intelligence sources think Russian President Vladimir Putin may be "dialing up his attempts" to interfere with the United States elections.
The Rasmussen poll showed that many voters agree with that assessment:
- 59% of voters think it’s likely Russia will try to interfere in this year’s congressional midterm.
- 38% said such interference is very likely.
- 34% don’t believe Russian interference in the midterm elections is likely; 16% said it is not at all likely.
- 53% of Democrats believe it is very likely that Russia will try to interfere in the midterm elections, with 33% of Republicans and 27% of unaffiliated voters agreeing.
- 22% of Republicans, 9% of Democrats, and 17% of unaffiliated voters said they think it is "not at all likely" that Russia will interfere in the midterms.
The poll also showed that younger voters were more likely to think Russian interference affected the 2016 election:
- 57% of voters under 40 think it is at least somewhat likely.
- 45% of voters 40-64 and 38% of those 65 and older agreed.
There was a division among races over whether it was at least somewhat likely Russia interfered in 2016, with 45% of white voters, 60% of Black voters, and 43% of other minorities believing it’s at least somewhat likely the 2016 election was altered due to Russian interference.
Majorities in the racial categories also said they think it's at least somewhat likely Russia will try to interfere in the midterms, with 60% of white voters; 61% of Black voters; and 57% of other minorities agreeing.
Voters with higher incomes, of above $200,000, think Russia's interference changed the 2016 election outcome and that they'll dog it again in 2024.
Government employees, at 59%, were more likely to believe there was interference in 2016 than were private-sector workers, at 49%, and retirees, at 38%.
President Joe Biden's strongest supporters think the Russians changed the results of the 2016 race and they fear further interference, as 86% believe it’s at least somewhat likely that the interference changed the 2016 election outcome, and 75% said it's very likely they'll try again this year.
Voters who disagree with Biden's performance though, said by 18% that they think the 2016 election was affected, and 20% said they think interference this year is very likely.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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