Bloomberg Politics/Purple Strategies poll finds 65% of Republicans, 18% of Democrats back freeze in Muslim immigration
Almost two-thirds of likely Republican primary voters — those who will decide the nominee for the conservative party — told pollsters they support controversial presidential hopeful Donald Trump’s call for a blanket ban on Muslims entering the United States.
The poll, a Bloomberg Politics/Purple Strategies PulsePoll released Wednesday, showed steady backing for the proposal by some 65 percent of likely Republican voters, The Hill, a Washington political journal, reported.
When challenged with opposing arguments, the figure did not waver, with 64% continuing to support the proposal.
The real estate mogul and reality TV star drew a firestorm of criticism, including from all major Jewish groups who opined on the issue, when he called for an end to migration of all Muslims into the US over terrorism fears.
The high levels of support for the idea likely have two sources, The Hill reported.
“We believe these numbers are made up of some people who are truly expressing religious bigotry and others who are fearful about terrorism and are willing to do anything they think might make us safer,” Doug Usher of Purple Strategies said of the findings.
“This indicates that, despite some conventional wisdom expressed in the last 48 hours, this is unlikely to hurt Trump, at least in the primary campaign.”
The proposal is not without support among likely Democratic voters, though at a much lower level. The poll found 18% of Democrats supporting Trump’s call. Among all Americans, 37% support the proposal and 50% oppose it.
Trump’s place at the lead of a densely-packed Republican primary field has drawn criticism and some concern over the future of the party. His populist rhetoric has attracted a conservative base that has grown skeptical about the ability of more experienced politicians to carry forward their agenda, while alienating many potential voters, including Republican primary voters.
The PulsePoll found Trump leading among Republican candidates in terms of favorability, with 65% of Republican primary voters — but also leading in his unfavorable rating, which was 33%. Senator Marco Rubio was a very close second in favorability (64%), but 11 points better in unfavorability (22%).
As reported by The Times of Israel