LIBERATE MICHIGAN, LIBERATE MINNESOTA, LIBERATE VIRGINIA

President Trump has decided to politicize public health policies surrounding the containing of the coronavirus. His tweets to “liberate” Michigan, Minnesota and Virginia – all likely battleground states in the November election – are clearly an effort to seek political advantage from voters’ frustrations with shelter-in-place orders.

Although most voters are supporting social distancing rules and are more concerned about restrictions being lifted too soon (66%), there is a significant group of voters (32%) that is and can be activated against the rules. The latest Pew Research poll reports that Republicans are divided on lifting restrictions (48% lift quicker and 51% don’t lift too quickly), but that 53 percent of conservative Republicans are concerned restrictions will not be “lifted quickly enough.”

The following chart shows the party distribution among conservative and more moderate voters among Republicans and liberals and more moderate to conservative Democrats and restrictions being lifted “too quickly” or “not quickly enough.”