NEWS AND OPINION:
Some now believe the coronavirus pandemic will be the ultimate influence on the outcome of the presidential election.
“The 2020 election will be decided by the virus,” writes Gary Meltz, a contributor to RealClear Politics.
“Democrats are now the party of ’closed’ and Republicans the party of ’open.’ Generally speaking, Democrats believe we need to keep restrictions in place to slow the spread of COVID-19, and Republicans demand we open businesses to save the economy. Both have a point, and time will tell which side is advocating the wiser plan,” he says.
“If the Republican states open up, and death rates do not spike, then President Trump can claim that Democrats were overly cautious and demonstrated poor judgment. On the flip side, if the red states experience higher death rates after opening up, residents may lament their decision. Whichever side has the upper hand will scold the other,” Mr. Meltz reasons.
“Ultimately, the trajectory of the pandemic will determine which political party was right or wrong. The virus will determine the outcome of the 2020 presidential election,” he said
“While the partisanship in our society is discouraging, perhaps the pandemic’s role in the political dynamic has a silver lining. Whichever political party has the best plan for managing this crisis will be rewarded at the ballot box. This is exactly how a democracy is supposed to work,” Mr. Meltz later concludes.
Voters, however, may believe otherwise.
A new poll from National Public Radio, PBS and Marist College finds that only 14% of the respondents said the political response to the pandemic would be a major factor which could influence their decision in November. Another 20% said the response would be a minor factor in their decision.
More telling for everybody, though: 64% of the respondents said they have already decided who they will vote for in the presidential race, coronavirus or not. That includes 74% of Republicans, 56% of independents and 68% of Democrats.
The poll of 1,008 U.S. adults was conducted April 21-26.
A BODACIOUS WAR CHEST
President Trump is definitely winning the donations war.
His campaign raised $61.7 million in April, bringing the total haul for this election cycle to an unprecedented $742 million, the Republican National Committee announced Tuesday.
This is $288 million more than former President Barack Obama at this point in his reelection campaign eight years ago, by the way.
The GOP credits the “largest field program and data operation in party history” for the fundraising success. That effort includes an army of 1 million volunteers who are both “trained and activated” and a formidable public outreach. The Trump campaign also has made more than 20 million voter contacts, according to new statistics.
The campaign has allocated $20 million to a new legal budget, the funds destined to “combat the Democrats’ assault on the integrity of our elections.” The efforts are outlined at ProtectTheVote.com.
“Democrats are trying to use coronavirus and the courts to legalize ballot harvesting, implement a nationwide mail-in ballot system, and eliminate nearly every safeguard in our elections,” noted a mission statement for the site.
“While day-to-day life may have slowed this past month, enthusiasm and support for this president has not. With their time, resources, and ultimately their vote, Americans across this country continue to put their faith in President Trump,” says Ronna McDaniel, chairman of the Republican National Committee.
ROLLING RALLY: BUSES READY TO RUMBLE
An unusual event of note in the nation’s capital: Some 800 motorcoaches from all 50 states will arrive in the city Wednesday for a “rolling rally” around the National Mall and U.S. Capitol. The unusual event has been organized by the American Bus Association and the United Motorcoach Association — meant to draw attention to the fact that 90% of the workforce in the bus and motorcoach industry has been laid off during the coronavirus pandemic.
The organization also point out that 90% of motorcoach companies are small, family-owned businesses and that 36,000 of these vehicles are now idle during what should be the industry’s busiest season, which is March to June.
Consider their issues at BusesMoveAmerica.com.
BIDEN: MAYBE, MAYBE NOT
The voting public has mixed feelings about the prospect of Joseph R. Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee — and three-out-of-10 say the Democratic Party should find another nominee, according to a Rasmussen Reports survey released Tuesday.
Just over half are sure Mr. Biden is the right man for the job. The poll found that 54% likely Democratic voters are satisfied with him as the Democrats’ 2020 nominee. A notable 28% think the party should find someone else to be their nominee; the rest are undecided.
Democrats appear resigned to Mr. Biden as their flag bearer, though. The survey found that 92% are convinced that Mr. Biden will be the nominee when the time comes.
Feelings are more pronounced among the rest of the population. Over one-third of all voters now believe that the Democratic Party should bypass Mr. Biden.
“Among all likely voters, 36% think Democrats need to find someone other than Biden to be their nominee; 45% disagree, and 19% are undecided. But 82% think Biden is the likely nominee,” the analysis said.
The poll of 1,000 likely U.S. voters was conducted May 10-11.
POLL DU JOUR
• 43% of U.S. adults say Americans are not taking the risks of coronavirus “seriously enough”; 27% of Republicans, 42% of independents and 58% of Democrats agree.
• 32% overall say the public is “behaving appropriately; 39% of Republicans, 28% of independents and 30% of Democrats agree.
• 18% overall say the public is “overreacting” to the possible risks; 26% of Republicans, 22% of independents and 7% of Democrats agree.
• 7% overall are not sure how the public is reacting; 8% of Republicans, 8% of independents and 4% of Democrats agree.
Source: An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,500 U.S. adults conducted April 26-28 and released Monday.
• Helpful information to jharper@washingtontimes.com.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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