Democrat voters in key midterm state say 'threats to democracy' more important than abortion, economy

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Threats to democracy rose as the top midterm concern for Democratic voters in Wisconsin, a new poll in the state shows.

A Spectrum News/Sienna College poll of likely Wisconsin voters found that when deciding which candidate to vote for this fall, threats to the democracy was the first or second choice to 40% of likely Democratic voters in the state, and 30% listed it as their top issue.

The topic has shown up in several recent polls, after President Biden said that "MAGA Republicans" are "threats to the democracy."

Abortion, which many Democratic candidates have made a focal point of their campaigns following the Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade, was of top importance to 39% of Democrats ahead of the midterms, and it was the top most important issue for 16%. Economic issues was to only 34% despite the technical recession.

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President Biden's national approval rating has risen over the summer, after hitting an all-time low in his presidency of 31% in June.  (Patrick Semansky)

Nearly 80% of registered Republican voters listed the economy was the most important issue, or second-most important issue facing Wisconsin, while only 30% felt that threats to the democracy were a top concern. Economic issues were also of top concern to 65% of likely Independent voters in the state and threats to the democracy 27%.

According to the poll, 41% of respondents have a favorable opinion of Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, the Democratic nominee in Wisconsin's Senate race while 37% had a favorable opinion of incumbent Sen. Ron Johnson.

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"In a sane world with unbiased media, none of these races would even be close, Joe Biden wouldn't be president, and the disaster that is Democrat governance, the disastrous results from Democrat policies would basically make sure the Democrats would not be in power right now," Johnson recently told Fox News' "American newsroom" Tuesday about the midterm race. 

"I mean, we're seeing what a fundamental transformation of this nation looks like. They're finally destroying it: it's open borders, a flood of deadly drugs, it's 40-year high inflation, record gas prices, and rising crime," Johnson said.

Sen. Ron Johnson is seeking re-election this fall as the Republican nominee in Wisconsin's Senate race. (Anna Moneymaker)

The poll found that 44% of registered Wisconsin voters have a favorable view of Biden, while the majority, or 52%, have an unfavorable opinion of him.

Only 29% of voters in the Badger State support Biden's student loan handout that would cancel up to $20,000 in student debt, and 42% oppose the president's plan.

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The Spectrum News/Sienna College poll was conduced from September 14-15, 2022 with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.