For Immediate Release:

DATE:  April 15, 2024

Contact: Jared DeWese (NewDEAL), 202-660-1340 x 5, jared@newdealleaders.org

New Poll: Freedom and Democracy Key to Vote Choice in 2024

In the wake of recent decisions curbing women’s bodily autonomy,
Democrats winning the argument over Freedom, nationally and in Arizona

Phoenix  – New research from NewDEAL, a national network of innovative state and local elected Democrats, finds that Democrats are winning the argument over freedom nationally and in the battleground state of Arizona. The poll finds that those surveyed associate “Freedom” with Democrats more than Republicans (35% to 33% nationally and 42% to 27% in Arizona), suggesting that Democrats are winning on critical issues in the upcoming November election and have a slight advantage five months before voters go to their voting booths.

Click for more poll results here.

The poll, conducted by Mercury Analytics between April 2-5, 2024*, also finds that Americans have a sour view of the state of our democracy (only 24% call it “excellent” or “good,” while 42% call it “poor” or “terrible”). They overwhelmingly want their leaders, regardless of party, to work together to solve our nation’s problems (79%) and want their leaders to be “authentic” (82%) and “get stuff done” (88%).

Furthermore, when asked about reproductive rights before the recent Arizona Supreme Court ruling, 61% of Arizonans agreed that the government should protect reproductive rights, while just 18% disagreed.

“When Americans turn out to vote in November, they’ll be voting to protect the fundamental freedoms that make our country strong—the freedom for women to make decisions about their reproductive health, the freedom and opportunities that come with a strong economy and democracy, “ said Debbie Cox Bultan, CEO of NewDEAL.

“This poll affirms that Democrats should frame the choices up and down the ballot around Americans’ freedom while making sure they highlight the impact of the election on the specific issues that voters care about the most, including the economy and public safety, as well as reproductive freedom and the basic idea that every eligible voter should have their vote counted and respected.”

The poll also found that:

• Nationally, voters believe that the MAGA movement is working to undermine, rather than protect, freedoms (41% – 31%).
• 53% of all respondents (72% Republicans, 33% Democrats, 53% Independents) consider American democracy to be “somewhat weaker” or “much weaker” than it was right after the 2020 election. Republicans, Democrats, and Independents were all 7-8 points more likely to say it is weaker than 2020 compared to a year ago.
• A plurality of all respondents strongly or somewhat strongly agree that in protecting people’s freedoms, the government should protect reproductive rights (70%), protect marriage equality (65%), improve public safety and reduce crime (88%), address climate change (68%), increase access to quality education (81%), and ensure access to free and fair elections (87%).

Freedom Favorability Ratings
The survey asked respondents nationally and in Arizona whether they believed the two political parties, American democratic institutions and the MAGA movement, were more disposed to protect freedom or undermine it.

Nationally

                                                Protect             Neutral             Undermine      Net

Democratic Party                    42                    22                    35                    +7

Republican Party                    40                    23                    37                    +3

MAGA Movement                   31                    29                    41                    -10

Justice System                        35                    35                    31                    +4

SCOTUS                                 40                    31                    29                    +11

Local Gov’t                              38                    43                    19                    +19

State Gov’t                              40                    34                    26                    +14

Federal Gov’t                          29                    31                    39                    -10

Arizona

                                                Protect             Neutral             Undermine      Net

Democratic Party                    42                    24                    35                    +7

Republican Party                    35                    21                    44                    -9

MAGA Movement                   30                    26                    44                    -14

Justice System                        31                    33                    36                    -5

SCOTUS                                 26                    35                    39                    -13

Local Gov’t                              42                    40                    17                    +25

State Gov’t                              37                    36                    27                    +10

Federal Gov’t                          33                    28                    40                    -7

About NewDEAL

The NewDEAL supports a network of about 200 state and local officials—statewide officials, legislators, mayors, council members, and other local leaders across the country—who are pro-growth progressives. The organization brings together leaders focused on expanding opportunity, helping them develop and spread innovative ideas to spur broadly earned and sustainable economic growth.