Most Voters Want Trumps Georgia Case Handled by Election Day 2024
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How voters are thinking about the Georgia charges
A Fulton County grand jury’s decision to indict former President Donald Trump on charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election result in Georgia is on the minds of voters.
According to our latest survey, 68% of voters say it is important to them personally that a verdict is reached in the Fulton County case, including 46% who said it is “very important.” This sentiment is shared among independent voters: 2 in 3 want the case decided by next November.
On the other hand, the GOP’s expected electorate is almost evenly divided on the question as Trump is expected to try to delay his trial.
As evidenced by our tracking of the 2024 GOP contest, most voters who indicated they plan to vote in a Republican presidential primary or caucus next year suggest nothing about his alleged crimes in Georgia will change their mind.
Our latest survey asked voters how willing they would be to support Trump in the event of a hypothetical conviction, sentencing or imprisonment. In each scenario, roughly 3 in 5 potential Republican primary voters said they would be willing to support the former president, both in the primary or a general election, even if he is behind bars. Roughly 4 in 5 Trump supporters said the same.
While voters don’t always succeed when predicting their own behavior, even modest erosion in support among Trump’s base could be problematic in the general election, where he’s polling slightly behind President Joe Biden in our tracking of the contest. Among the larger electorate, roughly half of voters said they would be “very” unwilling to support Trump if he’s convicted, sentenced or imprisoned.
How voters feel about Trump’s Georgia indictment
Public support for Trump’s Georgia indictment mirrors sentiment surrounding his three previous indictments this year — the first in New York on charges related to a hush-money payment to the adult film star Stormy Daniels, and the two others from the federal government dealing with his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House and his behavior following the 2020 presidential election.
According to the latest figures, 52% of voters approve of the Georgia grand jury’s decision to indict Trump, matching public support for both of his federal indictments with slightly fewer voters disapproving.
Similarly, the bulk of the electorate (47%) said the Georgia grand jury’s decision reflects evidence that he committed a crime, 9 percentage points higher than the share who said it reflects motivation to damage his political career (38%). Both figures are in line with surveys conducted after his three previous indictments, showing that a plurality of the overall electorate is not inclined to believe Trump’s claims of political persecution by the Biden administration.
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