DETROIT — Former President Donald Trump didn’t receive many sympathy votes in Michigan after he was shot, according to a new survey by a Democratic pollster.
Public Policy Polling, a Democratic-backed firm, surveyed 731 voters in the Great Lakes state on July 16-17 for the liberal group Progress Michigan. Lake Effect Newsletteris a monthly magazine that “tracks public opinion on a range of issues and politicians.”
One of the poll questions asked, “Last weekend, there was an attempted shooting of former President Donald Trump at a rally. Regardless of how you intended to vote in the November presidential election, does the attempted shooting of former President Trump change or remain the same your plans to vote?”
Only 5% answered “yes.” The vast majority, 93%, answered “no,” and 2% said they didn’t know.
When Progress Michigan listed the main findings from its poll, questions about Trump were not among them.
Michael Traugott, professor emeritus at the University of Michigan Center for Political Research, said he wasn’t surprised that Trump’s approval rating was only modest. In a polarized environment, committed voters tend to stick to their party, he said.
“We are in a time of great political polarization, and partisan affiliation has recently become more important in predicting voting,” Traugott told The Post. “If you look at the exit poll data from 2020, about 95% of Democrats voted for Joe Biden and about 95% of Republicans voted for Donald Trump. I think that’s pretty standard data.”
The mention of Trump in the poll’s key points was in reference to a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said the president is immune from prosecution for “official duties.”
The ruling resolves a federal lawsuit against President Trump over his improper handling of classified documents.
Polls about the immunity ruling were divided: about 54% opposed it and 38% supported it. The poll’s demographic leaned left.
Thirty-nine percent of those surveyed identified as Democrats, compared with just 32% who identified as Republicans and 29% who identified as independents.
By comparison, Democrats hold a 56-54 advantage in the Michigan House of Representatives and a 20-18 advantage in the state Senate. The reality is much closer.
49% of people voted by text message and 51% by landline. 40% of respondents were from union families. 49% voted for Biden in 2020 and 46% voted for Trump. Only 5% voted for another candidate or did not vote at all.
Progress Michigan and Public Policy Polling did not respond to requests for comment.
