Election 2020 Poll: Half Of Republicans Believe US Is On The Wrong Track

Growing dissatisfaction over President Donald Trump's response to the COVID-19 pandemic has half of Republican voters saying the country is on the wrong track.

This stunning loss of faith in Trump by members of his own party was revealed Monday in the latest Harvard CAPS-Harris online poll, conducted July 21-23.

The poll shows Democratic Party presumptive nominee Joe Biden ahead of Trump by 10 points nationally -- 55% to 45% -- on the question of who is best equipped to lead the U.S. through the COVID-19 pandemic. This result is almost unchanged from the same poll in June, when Biden held a 12-point advantage.

The poll reveals 61% of voters say Trump has done a bad job of managing the pandemic. It also confirms the COVID-19 pandemic is the dominant issue shaping voters' choices. A full 54% of voters say the pandemic is the most important issue for them. On the other hand, 32% say the economy is top of mind while 22% cite race relations.

“It’s the virus, stupid,” said Harvard CAPS-Harris Polling Director Mark Penn. “As the president's ratings slipped on the virus, so did his electoral position. He lost 10 points over the last few months on his performance on handling the virus to only 41 percent."

Penn said ratings on who would do a better job handling the pandemic mirrors the overall voting numbers, and "all other issues pale in comparison right now and are all but irrelevant. The virus is what is pre-occupying the voters today.”

The poll reveals two-thirds of voters say the U.S. is on the wrong track in its response to the pandemic. Eighty-three percent of Democrats feel this way as do 69% of independents. The surprise is the finding that Republicans are evenly divided on this assessment.

Biden's support remains rock solid among Democratic voters: 91% say they'll vote for him on Nov. 3. Independents favor Biden by a margin of 56% to 44% over Trump. Forty-seven percent of voters have a favorable view of Biden compared to 42% viewing Trump favorably.

Again, Trump's main advantage over Biden comes with the economy. Fifty-three percent of voters see it this way compared to 47% choosing Biden.

Trump has a positive job approval rating among 44% of respondents. His all-time low in this poll stands at 41%. Sixty percent of independents disapprove of the job Trump is doing.

By a 54% to 46% margin, Biden is viewed as the stronger candidate in dealing with China. He also has a big lead on the issue of race and policing at 59% to 41% over Trump.

Trump has a positive job approval rating among 44% of respondents. His all-time low in this poll stands at 41%. Sixty percent of independents disapprove of the job Trump is doing.

By a 52% to 48% margin, voters say Biden is the better leader on law and order. Sixty-one percent say Biden will do better at bringing the country together.