A recent poll conducted in battleground states revealed that nearly one in five voters erroneously believe that President Biden is responsible for ending the constitutional right to abortion, despite his support for abortion rights. This misconception was most prevalent among Trump supporters and voters with lower levels of education, but it was present across all demographic groups. Many Democrats also held Mr. Biden accountable for abortion bans, highlighting a significant misunderstanding among the electorate.
Abortion has been a key issue for Democrats in recent elections, and the confusion among voters offers both a challenge and an opportunity for Mr. Biden, who currently trails Mr. Trump by six points in the survey. Pollster Celinda Lake believes that these voters could be potential pickups for Democrats, but emphasizes the need to clarify Mr. Trump’s stance on the issue to voters. Mr. Biden’s campaign has been actively running ads linking Mr. Trump to abortion bans, and Vice President Kamala Harris has been highlighting this issue in her public appearances and interviews.
Many voters who attributed responsibility to Mr. Biden admitted that they were not closely following politics or government affairs. Some believed that Mr. Biden was responsible for the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision because it occurred during his presidency, while others felt that he had not taken sufficient action to stop state abortion bans. Despite these criticisms, many voters still indicated that they trusted Mr. Biden more than Mr. Trump to handle the issue of abortion, given his support for abortion rights.
Although some voters doubted Mr. Trump’s commitment to opposing abortion rights, a substantial number of Republicans did hold him responsible for the Dobbs decision. Mr. Trump has claimed credit for the decision, stating that he was able to “kill Roe v. Wade.” However, he has also sent mixed signals on the issue, recently expressing a willingness to leave abortion laws up to the states and even suggesting that women who violated abortion restrictions could be prosecuted.
Ultimately, issues related to abortion and immigration ranked lower in importance for voters compared to the economy. The largest share of respondents cited the economy as the most important issue in the election, followed by abortion and immigration. Despite the confusion among some voters regarding Mr. Biden’s role in abortion policy, the majority still trust him more than Mr. Trump on the issue. The poll was conducted independently and funded by the Lenfest Institute for Journalism.
