December 2023 U.S. Political Trends in 10+ Charts

This collection of charts showcases Morning Consult’s exclusive survey data on the 2024 elections and key political issues.

Chart Pack highlights:

• 2023 was the year of vessels. The two most penetrative stories of 2023 both involved moving objects. Nearly 3 in 5 U.S. voters (59%) reported hearing “a lot” about the Chinese spy balloon in the days after it was spotted drifting across the continental United States in early February. The same share of voters reported hearing a lot about OceanGate’s Titan submersible that went missing in June and was ultimately found to have imploded.
• President Joe Biden’s advantage over former President Donald Trump has evaporated in recent months. The GOP presidential front-runner now holds a small lead over the incumbent nationally. Trump also leads Biden in seven key swing states we track on behalf of Bloomberg News. 
• Trump’s decision to renew calls to replace the Affordable Care Act may not be a wise one, politically speaking. Our data shows that a majority of voters approve of Obamacare, and it has only become more popular in the past year. 
• Looking at the Republican presidential primary, Trump is dominant. He has the backing of a majority of potential GOP primary voters in 25 of 26 states we tracked, including in early states Iowa, South Carolina and Nevada, as well as in important Super Tuesday contests.