Whereas Democrats ran a “values campaign focused on government Americans could trust,” the authors posit, “what voters really wanted was an effective government, and on that, they preferred Donald Trump.”
In other words, “voters were more interested in a government that could do things, rather than a candidate pledging to uphold or restore trust in institutions that Americans simply no longer have confidence in.”
Consider political independents, who by a 13-point margin have become less trusting of government since the election. At the same time, by a 10-point margin, independents “believe the Trump administration will be more effective at getting things done going forward.”
Schoen and Cooperman say other polls have found a similar “cautious optimism” for the Trump administration.
Ultimately, the polling “makes clear that voters prioritized perceived effectiveness rather than upholding democracy this election.”
Read the op-ed at TheHill.com.
