Forty-four percent of registered voters said they would back a candidate who supports both universal access to health care and lower taxes, according to a new American Barometer survey, larger than the percent of those who prioritize either cause individually.
The poll, a joint project of Hill.TV and the HarrisX polling company, found that 26 percent of voters said they would likely choose a candidate who promised to keep taxes low, while 30 percent said they wanted a candidate that promised health care for everyone.
The findings come just weeks before November’s midterm elections, which are widely expected to be a referendum on President Trump’s first two years in office.
Trump and Republicans have touted the economy ahead of the races, tying growth to the GOP-backed tax plan passed late last year.
Democrats, on the other hand, have turned their focus on health care, warning that Republicans could cut protections for pre-existing conditions and funding for programs such as Medicare.
Mark Penn, co-director of the Harris Poll, said that while the platforms may rally the GOP and Democratic bases, the parties should focus on what issues will attract swing voters.
“The question is what do the swing voters, or those not affiliated with either party really want? Well, obviously from this question what they want is both. Lower taxes and more access to health care,” Penn told Hill.TV’s Joe Concha on “What America’s Thinking.”
The poll found that 52 percent of Independents said they would vote for a candidate that supports access to health care for everyone and lower taxes.
The American Barometer was conducted on October 13-14 among 1,000 registered voters. The sampling margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
— Julia Manchester
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