Most Voters Want Trump’s Georgia Case Handled by Election Day 2024
Key Takeaways
Nearly 7 in 10 voters (68%) say it is important that a verdict is reached in the Fulton County case before Election Day, including 46% who said it is “very important.” This sentiment is shared among independent voters: 2 in 3 want the case decided by next November.
According to our Aug. 18-20 survey, 52% of voters approve of the Georgia grand jury’s decision to indict Trump, matching public support for both of his federal indictments and slightly exceeding the share who said the same of the New York charges filed in April.
Yet 3 in 5 potential Republican primary voters said they would still be willing to back the party’s front-runner — both in the primary and general election — if he were imprisoned, underscoring his consistent level of support in our tracking of the contest through four indictments.
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How voters are thinking about the Georgia charges
A Fulton County grand jury’s decision to indict former President Donald Trump on charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election result in Georgia is on the minds of voters.
Nearly 7 in 10 Voters Say It’s Important That Trump’s Georgia Case Is Resolved Before the Election
According to our latest survey, 68% of voters say it is important to them personally that a verdict is reached in the Fulton County case, including 46% who said it is “very important.” This sentiment is shared among independent voters: 2 in 3 want the case decided by next November.
On the other hand, the GOP’s expected electorate is almost evenly divided on the question as Trump is expected to try to delay his trial.
This is daily data: We survey thousands of U.S. voters every day, producing exclusive daily tracking among thousands of Republican primary voters ahead of Election Day.
Understand true impact in real time: Other, more traditional polls with smaller sample sizes may look noisy or show jumps in support. Our dedication to high-frequency survey research means larger sample sizes of voters and demographics, with more consistency and more stability. Daily data matters.
As evidenced by our tracking of the 2024 GOP contest, most voters who indicated they plan to vote in a Republican presidential primary or caucus next year suggest nothing about his alleged crimes in Georgia will change their mind.
The Bulk of GOP Voters Would Be Willing to Back Trump — Even if He’s Imprisoned
Our latest survey asked voters how willing they would be to support Trump in the event of a hypothetical conviction, sentencing or imprisonment. In each scenario, roughly 3 in 5 potential Republican primary voters said they would be willing to support the former president, both in the primary or a general election, even if he is behind bars. Roughly 4 in 5 Trump supporters said the same.
While voters don’t always succeed when predicting their own behavior, even modest erosion in support among Trump’s base could be problematic in the general election, where he’s polling slightly behind President Joe Biden in our tracking of the contest. Among the larger electorate, roughly half of voters said they would be “very” unwilling to support Trump if he’s convicted, sentenced or imprisoned.
How voters feel about Trump’s Georgia indictment
Public support for Trump’s Georgia indictment mirrors sentiment surrounding his three previous indictments this year — the first in New York on charges related to a hush-money payment to the adult film star Stormy Daniels, and the two others from the federal government dealing with his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House and his behavior following the 2020 presidential election.
The GOP Electorate Largely Thinks Trump’s Georgia Indictment Was Wrong and Politically Motivated
According to the latest figures, 52% of voters approve of the Georgia grand jury’s decision to indict Trump, matching public support for both of his federal indictments with slightly fewer voters disapproving.
Similarly, the bulk of the electorate (47%) said the Georgia grand jury’s decision reflects evidence that he committed a crime, 9 percentage points higher than the share who said it reflects motivation to damage his political career (38%). Both figures are in line with surveys conducted after his three previous indictments, showing that a plurality of the overall electorate is not inclined to believe Trump’s claims of political persecution by the Biden administration.
Eli Yokley is Morning Consult’s U.S. politics analyst. Eli joined Morning Consult in 2016 from Roll Call, where he reported on House and Senate campaigns after five years of covering state-level politics in the Show Me State while studying at the University of Missouri in Columbia, including contributions to The New York Times, Politico and The Daily Beast. Follow him on Twitter @eyokley. Interested in connecting with Eli to discuss his analysis or for a media engagement or speaking opportunity? Email [email protected].
