Despite a constant media and partisan barrage to disparage the President in the eyes of veterans, their support for the Commander in Chief appears to remain fairly solid. The Military Times in partnership with the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) at Syracuse University conducted a poll of verified veterans between Oct. 1 and Oct. 13.
The results? A ‘decisive’ majority (52 percent versus 42 percent) support the re-election of President Donald Trump.
Military Times noted that, “Like past polls of active-duty personnel, the results of the veterans poll represent a segment of the community that spent more time in the military than the average service member and generally was more focused on the military as a career than other peers.”
Some poll highlights:
Veterans age 55 and older supported Trump far more than younger veterans who favored Joe Biden. There was also a disparity among women and minority veterans who leaned toward Biden.
Veterans older than 55 also listed immigration and Supreme Court appointments among their top picks, while younger veterans highlighted health care and racial inequality issues. Veterans under 35 listed economic inequality as their fourth-most important topic.
Interestingly, a significant majority of Biden supporters were unhappy he was the nominee. A simple majority of trump supporters felt the same about him. As the Times states:
Nearly 59 percent of poll respondents said they were dissatisfied with Biden as the Democratic nominee, with veterans under age 35 the most upset (65 percent), despite their preference for Biden over Trump in the election. Conversely, 51 percent of respondents said they were dissatisfied with Trump as the Republican nominee, with only veterans older than 55 giving him a majority of positive views (54 percent).
The poll also showed strong dissatisfaction with the dearth of coverage of military and veterans’ policy have gotten so far on the campaign trail. The Military Times noted that:
Almost 77 percent said that national security has received too little focus so far this election season; 73 percent said the same for military quality of life issues; 72 percent said the same for veterans issues.
However, notes the Times, “poll respondents gave Trump higher marks than Biden on understanding the needs of the military and understanding the needs of veterans, with about a third of respondents saying they would rate Trump’s grasp on the topic as excellent.”
Meanwhile, “Biden scored higher marks than Trump in ‘respect for troops and veterans’ and honesty.”
While no voting group is totally monolithic, this current poll seems to show that a strong “decisive” majority of veterans already have or will be voting to reelect President Trump in 2020.
