DES MOINES, Iowa – Nearly three-quarters of likely Iowa voters say the U.S. is on the wrong track, and over two-thirds have an unfavorable opinion of President Joe Biden, according to the latest ITR Foundation Poll.
Feelings about the direction of the state almost split, with slightly more Iowans 46.3 percent believing the state is moving in the wrong direction and 45.6 percent think it is going in the wrong direction. Optimism about the direction of the state dipped slightly from April when it was 47.2 percent.
“Iowa voters are fed up with President Biden’s negative impact on the country. Voters have grown even more pessimistic about the country’s direction and have a profoundly unfavorable view of the President,” Iowans for Tax Relief President Chris Hagenow said.
Biden has grown more unpopular since the last ITR Foundation Poll in April, with 67 percent of Iowa voters viewing him unfavorably. Most Iowans, 56.8 percent, view former President Donald Trump as unfavorable. He remains popular with Republicans but is divisive overall, especially with Independents, who view him unfavorably by a 2:1 ratio. Governor Kim Reynolds’s image is net even, with 48 percent viewing her as favorable and 48 percent as unfavorable.
President Biden trails Trump by almost 10 points in a hypothetical 2024 presidential matchup. Against a non-Trump Republican, Biden loses by an even larger margin of 15.6 points. Trump would prevail by 13 points over California Governor Gavin Newsom.
When asked which U.S. Congressional candidate they would support, 50 percent indicated the Republican candidate, and 36 percent said the Democrat candidate.
“Voters in Iowa remain polarized on many issues. However, independent voters are siding more with Republicans than Democrats. The result is a substantial Republican advantage in the 2024 generic ballot,” Hagenow added.
Inflation and the economy is the leading issue among Iowa voters with almost 24 percent saying that is their top concern influencing their vote in congressional races, followed by illegal immigration and the border with almost 14 percent.
Over a quarter of Iowans (27 percent) said that property taxes are the top issue facing their local community, followed by the economic/community development issues with 22.3 percent.
The poll was conducted by Signal on September 28 – 29, 2023, with 506 likely general election voters in Iowa. It has a margin of error of ±4.32%.
See the poll results below:
ITR-Foundation-Poll-Toplines-09-29-2023
