Farmers, in overwhelming numbers, said they would vote to re-elect President Trump this fall, but the landslide margin was smaller than in April, according to a telephone survey by DTN/Progressive Farmer. Asked this month how they would vote if the election were held now, 71 percent said they were likely to vote for Trump. That’s a drop of 18 points since the previous survey, in April.
“That change in support also showed up in questions regarding the current pandemic,” said DTN/Progressive Farmer. In the survey, conducted from Aug. 6-14, “only 43 percent said they were satisfied with the administration’s handling (of the coronavirus), while 20 percent said they were not satisfied and 37 percent said they were undecided.” In April, in the early days of the pandemic, when “the administration was downplaying its severity,” 84 percent were satisfied, 9 percent were dissatisfied, and 7 percent were unsure.
The questions about the presidential race were part of a broader survey of farmer confidence, conducted three times a year by DTN/Progressive Farmer. At least 500 “actively engaged” producers are contacted for each survey. The Agricultural Confidence Index was 94.3, a neutral reading that was 27 points higher than the record pessimistic level of April.
Rural voters were key to Trump’s election in 2016. A Farm Journal “pulse” poll on Aug. 14 found that 82 percent of farmers supported Trump, 13 percent backed Democratic nominee Joe Biden, and 5 percent were undecided. The support level for Trump was similar to previous “pulse” polls, which are conducted by text messages, said Farm Journal. Some 1,500 farmers took part in the August poll.