Ian Patrick, FISM News
The approach of the November midterm elections poses a threat to Democrats who, despite having control of most of the legislative branch, are facing a slew of at-home issues like inflation.
Congressional Democrats are hoping to save their seats by pushing agendas that the more extreme forms of their base want, such as unlimited abortion and LGBTQ+ policies in schools. But this push may backfire, as a new poll shows that battleground states are currently favoring the Republican picks over their Democrat competitors.
Conducted by OnMessage Inc. and presented by the American Principles Project (APP), the survey used answers from 1,200 respondents in the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin taken from May 2 to May 6.
The survey shows that 45% of respondents would pick a Republican choice for office, compared to only 39% choosing a Democratic candidate if the election happened the day they were questioned. Republicans had an 11-percentage point lead over Democrats among independents for this specific question.
The poll is then broken down by multiple issues and topics, and many of the key takeaways revolve around the push for transgenderism in schools.
For instance, 56% of likely voters said they support legislation banning biological men “who identify as transgender women from participating in girls’ sports programs both in K-12 and at the collegiate level.” Of those in support, 47% say they strongly support these measures. Of the 44% who oppose this type of legislation, 24% said they strongly oppose it.
On a similar note, 67% of respondents said that transgender men “have a clear, unfair advantage” and will “rob female athletes of scholarships and other opportunities.” Only 19% said they believed “not allowing them to compete with the gender they identify with is unfair discrimination.”
Another question asked if the respondents support or oppose bans on “puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and physical sex-change surgeries for children under the age of 18 who identify as transgender.” 56% said they supported these bans, with 46% strongly supporting them. 34% opposed the bans, with 26% strongly opposing them.
In a further peak into the issue, 63% of respondents said they believe “children are not able to make such a life-altering decision at such a young age” and it can physically ruin them. On the opposite side of the issue, 22% said that starting transgender surgeries this early can be “life-saving medical treatment” and prevent suicides, while accusing the other side of “transphobia and bigotry.”
Taking inspiration from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the survey asked about legislation like his Parental Rights in Education bill which “prohibits public schools from teaching any sexual issues, such as gender identity or sexual orientation, in the classroom to children in kindergarten through third grade.” 60% of respondents support this legislation, including 53% strongly supporting it, while 34% oppose it with 28% strongly opposing it.
On legislation that would require schools to disclose transgender identification among students to their parents, 59% show their support with 49% strongly supporting it while 30% oppose this type of legislation with 22% strongly opposing it.
In these battleground states, 57% said that parents “have a fundamental right to know if their children publicly identify as transgender, and schools should disclose that information if they are aware of it.” Another 27% argue that schools should withhold that information because “kids who identify as transgender could face abuse, abandonment, or neglect by their parents.”
Other notable opinions from the survey include 77% of respondents supporting age verification to access online pornography and 50% of respondents supporting laws preventing censorship from Big Tech platforms.