New polling from the progressive outfit Navigator Research shows that Donald Trump’s criminal conviction is poised to hurt him electorally among a critical bloc of swing voters: so-called double haters, or those who don’t like either Trump or President Joe Biden.
The survey, fielded during a five-day period following the verdict, had roughly similar findings as other snap polls conducted in the immediate aftermath of Trump’s conviction. The upshot: Majorities agree with the verdict, believe Trump is guilty, and think the trial was fair.
But among double haters—defined as voters who hold negative views of both Trump and Biden—the results were even more stark:
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84% think Trump committed a crime as president.
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76% say Trump is guilty and just 15% say he’s innocent.
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74% think Trump believes he’s above the law.
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66% think Trump should drop out of the race, while just 24% want him to stay in.
This group overwhelmingly believes the trial was fair, by nearly 30 points, 57% to 28%. And nearly 7 in 10 double haters say Trump was tried just like any other American, versus 31% who believe the proceeding was “rigged.”
Perhaps most importantly, nearly one-half of these voters said the conviction makes them less likely to vote for Trump: 48% less likely; 36% no impact; and 10% more likely.
The post-verdict feelings expressed by double haters stray sharply from those of Republican voters, who have quickly embraced the idea of electing a convicted felon to the White House.
Double haters proved critical to the 2016 outcome, breaking for Trump over Hillary Clinton in the final weeks of the election. This cycle, the group accounts for roughly 14% of the electorate, according to recent Marist polling conducted for NPR and PBS NewsHour.
Asked what worried them most about the conviction, 50% of double haters said that Trump thinks “he is above the law,” 35% said he is an “embarrassment to the country” and his party, and 26% said that he is “only running for president to get revenge and retribution.”
Overall, the Navigator poll found nearly two out of three Americans say Trump has committed a crime—the highest point in Navigator tracking of the issue.
Let’s say it together: No convicted felons in the White House!
Donald Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records on May 30. What are potential voters saying about this historic news? And what is the Biden-Harris campaign doing now that the “teflon Don” is no more?
