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☆ Poll: Election interest hits new low in tight Biden-Trump race
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Mark Murray | Sarah Dean | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

According to the poll, 64% of registered voters say they have a high level of interest in November's election — registering either a "9" or a 10" on a 10-point scale of interest. The lowest-ever level of high election interest in the poll during a presidential cycle was in March 2012 — at 59%. This election cycle, high interest has been both low and relatively flat for months, according to the poll. By party, the current poll shows 70% of self-identified Republicans saying they have high interest in the upcoming election, versus 65% of Democrats who say this. "They just aren't low interest," McInturff said of young voters.

Persons: Derrick Simonson, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden, Trump, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Kennedy, Devin Fletcher, he's, Fletcher, wouldn't, Jeff Horwitt, Bill McInturff, —, McInturff, Republican pollster Organizations: Wisconsin, Central Assembly, NBC News, Republican, Biden, Trump, Democratic, Hart Research Associates, NBC, Independents Locations: Douglas County, Superior , Wisconsin, U.S, Wayne , Michigan, New Jersey, New York

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California would ban all plastic shopping bags in 2026 under a new bill announced Thursday in the state Legislature. California already bans thin plastic shopping bags at grocery stores and other shops, but shoppers at checkout can purchase bags made with a thicker plastic that purportedly makes them reusable and recyclable. “It shows that the plastic bag ban that we passed in this state in 2014 did not reduce the overall use of plastic. That's because most of the state's major cities already ban these types of thicker plastic bags. As San Francisco's mayor in 2007, Newsom signed the nation's first plastic bag ban.

Persons: Sen, Catherine Blakespear, “, Mark Murray, Gavin Newsom, Newsom Organizations: Democratic, Environment America Research & Policy, Democratic Gov, Francisco's Locations: SACRAMENTO, Calif, California, Encinitas

☆ Poll: 20-point deficit on handling economy highlights Biden’s struggles against Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Mark Murray | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

And Biden's deficit versus Trump on handling immigration and the border is greater than 30 points. All together, these numbers explain why the poll shows Trump leading Biden by 5 points among registered voters in a hypothetical 2024 general-election matchup, 47% to 42%. "What is most concerning is the erosion of Biden's standing against Trump compared to four years ago," Horwitt said. That said, the poll shows improving attitudes about the economy, with the share of voters believing the economy will get worse in the next year declining 14 points since October 2022. The two men are essentially tied on the issue of protecting democracy, with 43% of voters preferring Biden and 41% picking Trump.

Persons: Joe Biden, Wade, Donald Trump, Trump, Biden, Jeff Horwitt, Bill McInturff, Horwitt, — Organizations: Force, Reproductive, NBC News, Biden, Trump, NBC, Democratic, Hart Research Associates, Republican, GOP, U.S . Locations: Washington ,, Israel, Trump, Biden's, Iowa, New Hampshire, U.S, Jordan, Michigan

Views of former President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement — or MAGA — reveal a lot about likely Iowa Republican caucusgoers’ candidate preferences ahead of Monday’s GOP caucuses. Overall, the new NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll finds a combined 40% of likely caucusgoers identifying themselves as either “Ultra MAGA” (18%) or “Regular MAGA” (22%) when asked how they view the phrase. Among the likely caucusgoers who say Trump is their first choice, a combined 60% describe themselves as either Ultra MAGA (31%) or Regular MAGA (29%). And DeSantis’ supporters are in the middle: 24% are either Ultra or Regular MAGA; 57% are neutral; and 17% are anti-MAGA. The NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll of Iowa was conducted Jan. 7-12 of 705 likely Republican caucusgoers, and it has an overall margin of error of plus-minus 3.7 percentage points.

Persons: Donald Trump’s “, MAGA, Iowa Republican caucusgoers, MAGA ”, Trump, DeSantis, caucusgoers Organizations: Iowa Republican, Monday’s GOP, NBC, Des Moines Register, Republican Locations: Monday’s, Iowa

☆ Majority of Iowa caucusgoers say Trump conviction wouldn’t affect their support
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Mark-Murray-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Mark Murray | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

By comparison, 19% of likely Iowa caucusgoers say a Trump conviction would make it more likely that they’d back Trump, while 18% say it would make them less likely to support the former president in the general election. As with the other findings from the Iowa poll, the likely caucusgoers backing former U.N. Among Haley’s supporters, 56% say a possible conviction of Trump doesn’t matter to their Nov. 2024 vote choice, but 41% say it would make them less likely to back Trump. By comparison, 70% of DeSantis supporters say it wouldn’t matter to them if Trump was convicted, versus 26% who say it will make them less likely to support the former president. And among Trump’s supporters, 58% say a conviction wouldn’t matter — and an additional 35% say a conviction would make them more likely to support their favored candidate.

Persons: caucusgoers, Donald Trump, Trump, Nikki Haley — Organizations: caucusgoers —, NBC, Des Moines, Trump, GOP, Des Moines Register Locations: Iowa

The NBC News poll isn’t the only one showing Biden struggling with young voters. The latest national NBC News poll finds President Joe Biden trailing former President Donald Trump among young voters ages 18 to 34 — with Trump getting support from 46% of these young voters and Biden getting 42%. That means Trump's advantage among young voters in the poll is well within the margin of error — but the shift against Biden is not. The NBC News poll isn’t the only recent poll showing President Biden struggling with young voters, especially after the start of the Israel-Hamas war. CNN’s recent national poll had Trump ahead of Biden by 1 point among voters ages 18 to 34.

Persons: Biden, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Trump Organizations: NBC, NBC News, Trump, Biden, Quinnipiac University, Fox News, New York Times, Siena College, CBS Locations: Israel, Siena

☆ Poll: Biden’s standing hits new lows amid Israel-Hamas war
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Mark Murray | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"Failed promises, student loans, foreign policy in general," said Democrat Zico Schell, 23, of San Diego, when asked why he disapproves of Biden's job performance. "This poll is a stunner, and it's stunning because of the impact the Israel-Hamas war is having on Biden," he said. According to the poll, 40% of registered voters approve of Biden's job performance, while 57% disapprove, representing Biden's all-time low in approval (and all-time high in disapproval) in the poll since becoming president. It's only a slight overall change from September, when Biden's approval rating was at 41% — which was then tied with his previous low in the poll. Biden's approval rating dropped to 31% among these voters.

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Brendan SMIALOWSKI, BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, Joe Biden's, What's, Biden, Donald Trump, Israel, Meg Furey, Zico Schell, Jeff Horwitt, Bill McInturff, McInturff, Horwitt, It's Organizations: Economic Cooperation, APEC, Getty Images, —, NBC News, Biden, Democratic, Hart Research Associates, Republican Locations: Asia, Woodside , California, California, AFP, Israel, Gaza, Austin , Texas, San Diego, Biden's

A majority of American college students blame Hamas for the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, and two-thirds describe the attack as an act of terrorism by Hamas, according to a Generation Lab poll of two- and four-year college students. The poll finds 86% of college students saying they’re aware of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. More than half, 52%, of the college students who say they’re aware of the Oct. 7 attack blame it on Hamas. By party, 73% of Republicans, 50% of Democrats and 50% of independents say they blame Hamas for the attack on Israel. And by race, 58% of white college students, 47% of Latinos and 36% of Black college students believe Hamas deserves blame for the attack.

Persons: Israel's Organizations: Hamas Locations: Israel, Gaza

Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump arrives to address the Pray Vote Stand Summit at the Omni Shoreham Hotel on September 15, 2023 in Washington, DC. According to the poll, 62% have either major concerns (52%) or moderate concerns (10%) about Trump facing different criminal and civil trials for alleged wrongdoing, including for trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Another 60% have major concerns (45%) or moderate concerns (15%) about Biden's possible awareness or involvement in the business dealings of his son, Hunter, including alleged financial wrongdoing and corruption. And 47% have either major concerns (34%) or moderate concerns (13%) about Trump, at age 77, not having the necessary mental and physical health to be president for a second term. "I would vote third party in protest if it was Trump versus Biden," Chester added.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joe Biden's, Trump, Biden, Bill McInturff, Jeff Horwitt, —, doesn't, Hunter, Mary Lyon, Kevin Chester, Chester Organizations: Omni, NBC News, Democratic, Republican, Hart Research Associates, Trump, Republicans, GOP, Biden aren't, NBC, Arizona Republican, Biden Locations: Washington ,, Fulton County , Georgia, Tucson , Arizona, Arizona

According to the Wall Street Journal’s polling, Trump held a 24-point lead over DeSantis back in April, 48% to 24%. Or take CNN’s polling, which had Trump ahead of DeSantis by 21 points nationally back in June, 47% to 26%. Or look at Fox News’ poll, which had DeSantis at 28% back in February, versus 43% for Trump. But Fox’s latest national poll — back in mid-August — had DeSantis at 16% (versus 53% for Trump). Altogether, the pattern is clear: DeSantis’ national polling percentages have gone from the mid- to high-20s earlier this year to the teens now.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Ron DeSantis, Trump, — Organizations: Republican, Florida Gov, Trump, GOP, Fox News Locations: Florida, DeSantis

☆ Trump’s GOP lead grows after latest indictment, poll finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Mark Murray | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Republican presidential candidate former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the Faith and Freedom Road to Majority conference at the Washington Hilton on June 24, 2023 in Washington, DC. Former President Donald Trump has expanded his lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the rest of the Republican presidential field since Trump's latest indictment on federal criminal charges, according to a new national NBC News poll. Yet the poll shows Trump with a sizable — and growing — lead over his Republican presidential rivals in the aftermath of that federal indictment. When the GOP presidential race gets reduced to just two candidates in the current survey, Trump gets support from 60% of Republican primary voters, while DeSantis gets 36%.

Persons: Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, it's, Bill McInturff, Jeff Horwitt, Horwitt, Trump, Joe Biden, Mike Pence, Chris Christie, DeSantis Organizations: Washington Hilton, Washington , DC, Florida Gov, Republican, NBC News, Trump, GOP, Republicans, Democratic, Hart Research Associates, NBC, New, New Jersey Gov Locations: Washington ,, New Jersey, New York

☆ Poll: 61% of voters disapprove of Supreme Court decision overturning Roe
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Mark Murray | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

People march together to protest the Supreme Court's decision in the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health case on June 24, 2022 in Miami, Florida. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards NBC News PollAnd by more than a 2-to-1 margin, voters say abortion access across the country has become too difficult rather than too easy. "A year after the Dobbs decision, though, there is no change in voters saying access is too difficult in their state." In the poll, 61% of all voters say they disapprove of the 5-4 decision, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which leaves the legality and conditions of abortion up to individual states. And they're nearly unmoved from Aug. 2022 — two months after the Dobbs decision — when 58% disapproved, while 38% approved.

Persons: Allison, Roe, Wade, there's, Democratic pollster Aileen Cardona, Arroyo, Bill McInturff, McInturff, Dobbs, —, they're, Cardona, Yasin Ozturk, it's Organizations: Jackson, Anadolu Agency, Getty, U.S, NBC News, Republican, NBC, Democratic, Hart Research Associates, Health Organization, Black, Washington , D.C Locations: Dobbs, Miami , Florida, Washington ,, West, Midwest

☆ NBC News poll: Nearly 70% of GOP voters stand behind Trump amid indictment, investigations
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Mark Murray | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

And half of those who don't want the 80-year-old Biden to run say the president's age is a "major" reason why. Forty-six percent of Republican primary voters pick Trump as their first choice, while 31% select DeSantis as the 2024 candidate they favor. Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy has 2%.Meanwhile, DeSantis is the second choice of 33% of GOP primary voters, Trump is the second pick of 20%, and Haley is the second choice of 14%. Yet what also stands out in the poll are the nearly 70% of Republican primary voters who say they stand behind Trump despite the different investigations he's facing. Majorities don't want Biden, Trump to run for president in 2024The NBC News poll also comes just days before Biden's expected announcement for re-election.

But a new Quinnipiac University poll of California finds a different issue at the top of voters’ minds in the Golden State: homelessness. According to the survey, 22% of all California voters named homelessness as the state’s most urgent issue — followed by affordable housing at 17%, inflation at 10%, taxes at 9% and crime and climate change tied at 8% each. By party, Democrats said that homelessness (26%) and affordable housing (24%) were their top issues; independents said it was homelessness (23%) and affordable housing (15%); and Republicans said it was immigration (17%), homelessness (14%) and taxes (14%). A separate question in the Quinnipiac poll found 84% of all California voters saying that homelessness is a very serious problem in the state, and 69% said the state was doing too little to help homeless people. The Quinnipiac University poll was conducted Feb. 23-27 of 1,091 registered voters in California, and it has a margin of error of plus-minus 3.0 percentage points.

Persons: Gavin Newsom’s, Biden, Sen, Dianne Feinstein, Alex Padilla Organizations: NBC, Quinnipiac University, Golden, Democrats, California voters Locations: California, Golden State, Quinnipiac

A new national Quinnipiac University poll shows some striking fault lines emerging in the still-early 2024 Republican presidential race. But it’s the stark GOP divides in GOP support between Trump and DeSantis that stand out in the poll. Among just self-identified Republicans, Trump gets 48% versus 31% for DeSantis. And among white Republicans with four-year college degrees, DeSantis is ahead of Trump, 51%-22%. When Biden was matched up against DeSantis, it was DeSantis 47%, Biden 46%.

Ron DeSantis lead an early — and still incomplete — Republican presidential field, according to a new national Monmouth University poll released Thursday. Asked whom they’d like to see as the GOP’s presidential nominee, 33% of Republican voters answered Trump and another 33% picked DeSantis. But the contest is closer among respondents who identify as strong Republicans (DeSantis 49%, Trump 46%) and among evangelical Republicans (DeSantis 51%, Trump 44%). The worst favorable/unfavorable ratings among Republican voters were for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (23%-53%) and embattled freshman Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., (12%-42%). The Monmouth University poll was conducted Jan. 26 to Feb. 2 of 566 registered Republican voters, and it has a margin of error of plus-minus 6.1 percentage points.

As President Joe Biden readies to deliver his State of the Union address, here's a look at how Americans rated him in the latest NBC News poll, released late last month. Biden's approval rating is 45%, effectively unchanged since Nov.Biden's approval rating has stayed durable across NBC's polling since September, at either 44% or 45% (that includes a mix of polls of registered voters and a broader sample of adults). That's a significant improvement from the 39% approval adults gave him in May, but still far lower than the 53% approval rating he secured in April of 2021. Notably, 50% of adults disapproved of Biden in the most recent NBC poll, the lowest since August of 2021. Majority of voters have reservations about Biden running againLike the man he beat in the 2020 presidential race, former President Donald Trump, a majority of registered voters are uncomfortable with Biden running for president again.

Seventy-five percent of Americans say strengthening the economy should be the top policy priority for President Joe Biden and Congress to address this year, according to a new Pew Research Center poll, higher than any other priority the survey tested. At the bottom of the list of 21 different policy priorities is dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, with just 26% of respondents saying Biden and Congress should address it this year — a drop from 2021 and 2022, when it was near the top in the poll. The Pew survey comes ahead of Biden’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, and it shows broad agreement that strengthening the economy should be priority, with 84% of Republicans and 68% of Democrat saying it should be. But there’s disagreement on dealing with immigration (70% of Republicans said it should be a priority, versus 37% of Democrats), on dealing with climate change (59% of Democrats vs. 13% of Republicans) and on addressing issues around race (49% of Democrats vs. 13% of Republicans). The online Pew poll was conducted Jan. 18-24 of 5,152 adults, and it has an overall margin of error of plus-minus 1.7 percentage points.

The poll finds an American public that’s equally concerned about the discovery of classified documents found at Biden’s and Trump’s homes, even though the current president and ex-president handled their situations in different ways. Sixty-seven percent of Americans say it’s concerning that classified documents were found at Biden’s former office and personal home, including 33% who say it’s “very” concerning; 18% say it’s not too concerning or concerning at all. Strikingly, a majority of Democrats (52%) say they’re concerned about Biden’s classified documents, while a majority of Republicans (53%) are concerned about Trump’s. The NBC News poll was conducted Jan. 20-24, so mostly before the Jan. 24 news that small number of classified documents were found at former Vice President Mike Pence’s home. The most popular ideas: providing a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who meet certain requirements (80% say Congress should do this), taking a harder line against China (75% say Congress should act) and addressing immigration by increasing border security (72%).

☆ Poll: Majority of voters believe Biden acted inappropriately handling classified docs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Mark-Murray-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Mark Murray | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

A new national Quinnipiac University poll finds 62% of registered voters believing that President Joe Biden acted inappropriately in how he handled classified documents after leaving the White House as vice president, versus 21% who say he acted appropriately. By party, 85% of Republican voters, 64% of independents and 36% of Democrats say Biden acted inappropriately. Asked how serious Biden’s handling of classified documents is, 41% of voters say it’s “very serious,” 32% say it’s “somewhat serious,” and a combined 22% say it’s not too serious or not serious at all. President Biden’s overall approval rating in the Quinnipiac poll is at 38% approve, 53% disapprove among registered voters. Biden receives his highest job rating on handling Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (46% of voters approve of his job), and he gets his lowest marks on handling the US-Mexico border (17% approve).

The GOP-controlled House passes a rules package for 118th Congress with just one GOP defection, NBC’s Kyle Stewart reports. ... President Biden spends his final day in Mexico City at North American Leaders’ Summit. But first: The news that the Justice Department is reviewing Obama Era classified documents found at a think tank tied to President Biden is quite a political gift to Donald Trump. “When is the FBI going to raid the many homes of Joe Biden, perhaps even the White House?” Trump posted on his Truth Social account. 6: The number of shootings recently at or near the homes of New Mexico Democratic political leaders, including the incoming state House speaker.

The new House GOP majority returns to elect a speaker after failing on three votes Tuesday. ... Nancy Pelosi reacts to GOP dysfunction: “As one who loves this institution, I think it’s a sad day.” ... And President Biden appears with Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell to tout the bipartisan infrastructure law. Andy Beshear) all appear at an event in Kentucky promoting a bridge improvement from the bipartisan infrastructure law. 16: How many years Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has served as Senate GOP leader, making him the longest-serving Senate leader ever, per NBC News’ Frank Thorp. Eyes on 2024: DeSantis takes office amid GOP chaosAs the GOP descended into chaos on Capitol Hill Tuesday, Florida GOP Gov.

While Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is leaving the Democratic Party and registering as an independent, the move won't likely do much to complicate her path to appearing on the ballot in 2024 if she decides to run for re-election. According to the Arizona Secretary of state, a candidate who wishes to be on the general election ballot without affiliating with a recognized political party need to submit at least 43,492 valid signatures. That figure is about 3% of the unaffiliated registered voters in the state. It's a relatively low threshold as far as ballot access goes, suggesting that Sinema wouldn't have much trouble getting on the ballot if she wants to run again. That said, ballot access isn't the big political question looming over Sinema's party switch — that's the question about whether Democrats choose to nominate a candidate themselves, and what impact that might have on what could be a competitive three-way race.

We’re going to win Georgia,” Biden said in response to questions regarding his outlook on the Georgia Senate runoff contest as he exited Air Force One Tuesday night. Share this -Link copiedWarnock defeats Walker in Georgia Senate runoff, NBC News projects Sen. Raphael Warnock has won his second statewide runoff election in the last two years, defeating Republican Herschel Walker in the increasingly purple state of Georgia to capture a six-year term in the Senate, NBC News projected. Share this -Link copiedThe Senate runoff election is still too close to call, but Warnock leads The Senate runoff election between Warnock and Walker is still too close to call, but Warnock leads, NBC News' Decision Desk said just before 10 p.m. Share this -Link copiedPolls close soon in critical Georgia Senate runoff Polls are closing at 7 p.m. ET in the Senate runoff election in Georgia, where Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock is hoping to fend off a challenge from Republican Herschel Walker.

The turnout in the Senate runoff was nearly 75% to 80% of the entire turnout for the midterm election in November. Share this -Link copiedPolls close soon in critical Georgia Senate runoff Polls are closing at 7 p.m. ET in the Senate runoff election in Georgia, where Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock is hoping to fend off a challenge from Republican Herschel Walker. Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock has a massive ad-spending and fundraising advantage over Republican Herschel Walker in the runoff election. In the 2022 general election, Warnock grew his advantage in Henry County, winning it by just over 31 points.

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