Arizona Republic poll: Voters split on Trump, but reject impeachment

The Republic | azcentral.com

Overall, 48.2 percent of registered Arizona voters responding to a new Suffolk University/Arizona Republic poll said they disapproved of Donald Trump’s job as president.

Slightly more Arizona voters disapprove of President Donald Trump than say they approve of him, but overwhelmingly they don't want to see him impeached, according to a new Suffolk University/Arizona Republic poll.

The polarizing president found strong support among Republicans and was very unpopular among Democrats. Independents view Trump unfavorably by a margin of 56 percent to 34 percent.

Even so, a clear majority of respondents, 58 percent, do not want the U.S. House of Representatives to seriously consider impeaching Trump.

Overall, 48.2 percent of registered voters polled said they disapproved of his job as president. The poll found 47.6 percent approved of his performance.

The poll of 500 registered Arizona voters was conducted by Suffolk University between Thursday and Sunday and had a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points. It included those with cellphones and landline telephones.

Trump's standing in Arizona is better than it is with the nation as a whole. About 42 percent of those polled nationwide approve of Trump, while nearly 53 percent disapprove, according to FiveThirtyEight's average of polls.

The poll reflects the views of voters like Edward Bernier.

The 76-year-old Republican from Mesa said he's "irritated as hell" with Democrats who are trying to hamper Trump's agenda. From his standpoint, the president hasn't gotten enough credit for the booming economy and the new trade deal with Mexico and Canada.

"I just get so furious with the Democrats and what they're doing and what they're trying to do," he told The Arizona Republic. "What Trump is doing is far superior 20 times over than what any Democrat has done ... He does so much good for our country."

Sending a message?

Nearly 80 percent of those polled said they want their vote to send a message on Trump, though they were again divided nearly equally as to what that message should be.

The poll found 39.6 percent want their vote to show support for Trump. It found 39.8 percent of respondents want their vote to change the nation's direction under Trump. That split overwhelmingly fell along party lines.

About 16 percent of those polled said their vote doesn't have much to do with Trump and his policies.

Among independents, 45 percent said they wanted their vote to change the Trump agenda compared to 29 percent who wanted to support his efforts.

The split was even starker along gender lines.

Half of women want their votes to change the nation's direction under Trump. Almost the same share of men, 49 percent, want their vote to show support for the direction under Trump.

Only 29 percent of men want to change the direction under Trump and 31 percent of women want to show they support Trump by their vote.

Kathleen Kahn, a mother of two who considers herself a moderate Republican, intends on voting for Democrats up and down the ballot, motivated by her dislike of Trump.

"I'm embarrassed disgusted, infuriated" by the president, she said. "I'm very disappointed of his treatment of undocumented individuals. As a parent, the family separation (issue) was very impactful on me and devastating to me."

Kahn, of north-central Phoenix, said she is also offended by his personal conduct involving women: "Sexual assault is our president. As a mom and as a woman, he basically has offended me on all levels," she said.

Younger voters — those younger than 35 — were most interested in changing the nation's direction under Trump. More of them saw no Trump message in their voting than any effort to support the direction under him.

The same kind of pattern held for those between 65 and 74 years old.

Middle-aged voters — those ages 45 to 64 — showed the most support for Trump. Trump also did better with voters older than 75.

Personal favorability

Along the same lines, the poll found that respondents overall viewed Trump slightly more unfavorably than favorably.

Just less than 46 percent had a favorable view of Trump, a figure topped in Arizona only by Gov. Doug Ducey.

At the same time, 49 percent had an unfavorable view of Trump. That was worse than everyone the poll asked about, including U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.

Consider impeachment?

Impeachment polled badly with those questioned in the Suffolk University/Republic poll.

Just under 35 percent support the House to give serious consideration to impeachment. Another 7 percent were undecided.

Men overwhelmingly reject impeachment, 71 percent to 25 percent. For women, the issue was more difficult. As a group, they narrowly oppose impeachment, 47 percent to 44 percent.

Republic reporter Yvonne Wingett Sanchez contributed to this story.

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