Election 2016

Voters See Trump As Safer Bet Against Terrorism

Voters tend to think Donald Trump would do a better job protecting them from terrorists.

Clinton Gains on Trump in Voter Trust

Donald Trump’s trust advantage over Hillary Clinton in the areas of the economy and immigration have all but vanished, although independent voters continue to express a lot more faith in the GOP nominee.

Is There Silent Trump Support That Pollsters Are Missing?

Some have suggested that Donald Trump has hidden support among voters who are unwilling to say publicly where they stand because they’re fearful of criticism. We won’t know for sure until Election Day, but Republicans are clearly more reluctant than Democrats this year to say how they are going to vote.

Voters Say Media, Not Candidates, Setting Agenda For 2016 Election

A majority of voters believe the media are in the driver’s seat this presidential election season.

Would You Buy A Used Car from Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump?

Most voters think both of the major presidential candidates are liars and give them equally low marks as potential used car salesmen.

Trump Voters Don’t Like the Feds, Clinton Voters Do

The upcoming president election is shaping up as a referendum on the federal government and its actions. Supporters of Donald Trump really dislike the feds, while voters who support Hillary Clinton think they’re great.

Voters Say It’s Important for Clinton, Trump to Hold Press Conferences

Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton hasn’t had a formal press conference since late last year, largely avoiding media questions for the entire primary season. Republican nominee Donald Trump’s routine press conferences often seem to do him more harm than good. Do voters want presidential candidates to meet the press? 

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 82% of Likely U.S. Voters think it is important for the major presidential candidates to hold regular press conferences to answer questions from reporters, with 48% who say it is Very Important. Just 17% view regular press conferences as unimportant, and that includes only three percent (3%) who feel they are Not At All Important. (To see survey question wording, click here.) 

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook. 

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on August 15-16, 2016 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Is Trump to Blame for His Bad Media Coverage?

Most voters still think the media is more interested in controversy than in the issues when it comes to the presidential race, and supporters of Donald Trump strongly believe the coverage of his public comments is a classic example. Most Hillary Clinton supporters say Trump’s just a sloppy speaker. 

Most Still Don’t Trust Clinton or Trump

Democrats trust Hillary Clinton more than Republicans trust Donald Trump, but most unaffiliated voters don’t trust either one of them.

Voters See Trump As His Own Worst Enemy

Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan wrote earlier this year that the only person who can beat Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is Trump himself, and so far voters think that's exactly what he's doing.

GOPers Favor Ryan’s Reelection But Think Party Should Be More Like Trump

Republicans still prefer a party that’s more like Donald Trump but hope nevertheless that House Speaker Paul Ryan defeats his anti-establishment opponent in today’s Wisconsin GOP primary.

Pence vs. Kaine, and the Winner Is …

If the presidential contest suddenly boiled down to a battle between the two vice presidential candidates, Republicans have the edge.

Democrats, Republicans Driven By Different Issues This Election

The economy remains the number one issue for all voters this election cycle, but Republicans are a lot more worried about national security than Democrats and unaffiliated voters are.

If Trump’s ‘Unfit to Serve,’ What About Clinton?

President Obama earlier this week denounced Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump as “unfit to serve” and “woefully unprepared to do this job.” Nearly half of voters agree, but they’re not so sure about Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton either.

Fewer Voters Plan to Sit Out Clinton-Trump Contest

So how many voters still plan to sit this election out now that Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are the official major party presidential nominees?

Voters See Conventions As More of Plus for Clinton Than Trump

Voters followed both national political conventions with equal interest over the last couple weeks but think Hillary Clinton benefited more from hers than Donald Trump did from his.

Voters Expect Bill Clinton To Be A Policymaker in Wife’s Administration

Bill Clinton used to tell voters during his 1992 campaign for the presidency that they would be getting "two for the price of one" if he was elected, referring to his wife Hillary Rodham Clinton. Voters are strongly convinced that they'll get the same deal if Mrs. Clinton is elected to the White House this fall.

Kaine Provides Little Spark to Clinton Ticket

Despite complaints from progressives in her party, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s decision to make Virginia Senator Tim Kaine her running mate makes little difference to voters.

28% Have Switched Presidential Choice Since January 1

Voters give mixed marks to this year’s primaries and candidate debates, but a sizable number say they’ve changed horses since the first of the year.

Democrats Think Sanders Voters Likely to Support Clinton

Less that half of Democrats feel Hillary Clinton has done enough to win over supporters of her primary rival Senator Bernie Sanders, but most voters in their party still think there's a good chance Sanders supporters will back Clinton in the fall.