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- Derek Weston via fox - Politics
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- Politics·4 min to read
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Midterm voters say opposition to Trump and his party is driving their votes
ReMidterm voters say opposition to Trump and his party is driving their votes
Ahead of the midterm elections, voters interviewed by Fox News Digital said their choices are shaped more by what they oppose than by what they support, with frustration over the Trump administration, the economy and other issues cutting across party lines.
With the midterm elections two days away, voters across the country say their decisions are being shaped less by enthusiasm for a party or candidate and more by opposition to the other side. Interviews conducted by Fox News Digital suggest that frustration may matter more to the outcome than affirmative support for any agenda.
Among Democratic voters interviewed, many pointed to President Donald Trump and his administration as their main motivation, even though he is not on the ballot this year. A voter from Colorado said he would vote Democratic down the line because of Trump, while a Washington, D.C., voter named Lucy said she was tired of the administration and objected to what she called lies about the city, the area and the country. Mark from Utah cited corruption, the cost of living and democracy, arguing that the administration does not seem to care about the Constitution and that the president is enriching himself while the rest of the country grows poorer.
Control of Congress is at stake, with Democrats seeking enough seats to challenge Trump's legislative agenda for the rest of his term. Some Democratic voters expressed disagreement with the party on specific issues but said their opposition to Trump outweighed those differences. Jeremy from New York said he agreed with many Republican positions but could not support the person currently in charge. Another voter, from Virginia, said he had backed Trump and Republicans in past elections but was switching because, after six years of Make America Great Again, the country was not, in his view, great again.
Opposition was not limited to Democrats. The few Republican voters who spoke with Fox News Digital also framed their choices around the other party. Yago said he was voting Republican because he did not want to see socialism in the country. John from Illinois said social policy was driving his decision, pointing to what he described as Democratic positions on family, gender and abortion policy.
Other voters named specific issues. Emily from Texas, who plans to vote Democratic, said her main concern was what is happening with ICE and the Department of Homeland Security. A voter who plans to support Republicans said his decision came down to gun control, arguing that the Second Amendment protects the First. Kamil from Washington said U.S. foreign policy toward Israel and Palestine was pushing him toward Democrats.
Economic concerns also run through the broader picture. A Pew Research survey in early October found that 84 percent of registered voters considered the economy very important to their vote, a concern that appears across party lines. Fast Company reported that polling looks difficult for Republicans largely because of public pessimism about the economy, even though several measures such as gross domestic product growth remain strong and inflation is the notable exception. Democrats remain gloomier about the economy than Republicans, but the gap is narrowing, according to that analysis.
For many Americans, the midterms appear to be less a referendum on either party's vision than a contest shaped by what voters are against, and by how they judge the direction of the country under the current administration.
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