New poll shows strong support for Trump in farm country

WASHINGTON, March 26, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- They've been through trade wars, ethanol battles and slumping commodity prices, but farmers and ranchers' support for President Donald Trump remains strong, according to the latest Agri-Pulse poll of U.S. farmers and ranchers. 

Some 72% of producers nationwide said they were willing to support Trump's reelection, up from 69% during the fall of 2018 and 45% in the spring of 2018. 

Ninety percent of the Republican or GOP-leaning farmers who were polled said they would vote for Trump this fall, compared to 48% of the independents and 24% of the Democrats. 

"Unless the upward curve changes – and that can certainly happen with all of the COVID-19 marketplace and trade disruptions - Trump seems well-positioned to capture a large portion of the farm vote going into the 2020 presidential election," says Agri-Pulse Editor Sara Wyant. "However, Joe Biden has the ability to tap into the economic uncertainty that many farmers are experiencing. Of the Democrats surveyed, Biden was the clear favorite of the primary candidates."

Nearly two-thirds of the farmers surveyed said they had at least some concerns about their ability to repay loans, and 79% said it was important that farmers receive another round of Market Facilitation Program payments in 2020. The Trump Administration has already paid out about $28 billion in MFP payments in the last two years.

In the fall of 2018, Trump's approval rating was 79%, but the share of farmers who strongly approved of his performance at that point was lower, at 37%. An earlier poll in the spring of 2018, during the lead-up to the tariff war with China, only 51% of producers approved of the job Trump was doing.

The survey of 600 producers, conducted by Aimpoint Research, included farmers and ranchers with at least $50,000 in gross farm income was conducted via telephone from Feb. 19 through March 13. For more background on the research and additional graphics, click here.

About Agri-Pulse: Agri-Pulse is a trusted farm and rural policy source in Washington, D.C. The multimedia company provides trusted insights on a wide variety of issues including farm policy, nutrition, trade, food safety, environment, biotechnology, organic, conservation and crop insurance, food safety and COVID-19. For more news, go to www.agri-pulse.com. 

SOURCE Agri-Pulse Communications

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