A new poll shows Tennessee voters haven't budged much in their support for U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, former President Donald Trump or even on their feelings for pop star Taylor Swift.
Blackburn remains the heavy favorite in her race, according to the poll published Wednesday by the conservative Beacon Center of Tennessee. She leads Democratic front-runner state Rep. Gloria Johnson, who holds a 31-point lead over primary opponent Marquita Bradshaw.
Johnson has advanced on her October numbers, cutting Blackburn's lead to 16 points. But Blackburn continues to have a net approval rating — her positive rating minus her negative rating — of 13%.
"Many Tennesseans have yet to tune into the Senate race, leaving a significant 26% of general election voters undecided," Beacon Center spokesperson Mark Cunningham wrote in his introduction to the findings. "With that being said, Sen. Blackburn's strong approval rating (+13%) and Tennessee's conservative tilt make her a heavy favorite to retain her Senate seat."
Support for Trump endures, with 48% of the 970 likely voters polled choosing the former president in a three-way race including President Joe Biden and candidate Robert Kennedy as an independent.
The poll also found 48% of the nearly 1,200 registered voters polled approve of Gov. Bill Lee, who remains unpopular among Democrats. Blackburn is more popular than Lee or Sen. Bill Hagerty among Republicans with a 49% approval rating but is disapproved by 34% of Democrats, making her the least liked among the three.
The poll also explored feelings on capitalism, with 58% of nearly 1,200 respondents saying they believe capitalism promotes freedom.
The Beacon poll also asked nearly 1,200 voters about their views on taxes.
"A plurality of voters (36%) believe the business tax should be reduced for smaller businesses," the report of findings said. "Additionally, 15% of voters believe the tax should be reduced for all businesses and 7% want to eliminate the tax completely. Sixteen percent believe the tax should remain unchanged, and 8% of voters believe we should increase the tax to provide more public services."
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Registered voters also showed support for sports betting. While only 25% of respondents bet themselves, 42% support it.
More polarizing has been Swift and what kind of influence she might have in the November general election. The poll suggests her political opinions, when she expresses them, have some effect.
"There has been a lot of talk about Taylor Swift and her potential impact on the 2024 election, so we decided to poll it," the report said. "While most Tennesseans are not fans of Taylor Swift (57%), a large minority of the state considers themselves Swifties (37%). The polling data indicates that Taylor Swift has some influence among her fans, who are more likely to support Democratic candidates and participate in elections. Taylor Swift fans are more positively influenced by her endorsements (12%) than negatively (5%)."
Contact William D'Urso at wdurso@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6125.