General election another matter
A Beacon Center poll released earlier this week included information about whom Tennessee voters would choose in a repeat of the 2020 presidential election matchup between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.
Not surprisingly, Volunteer States voters — who’d expressed similar loyalties in early polls — said they’d support Trump 63%-30% in a two-way race and 48% for Trump to 23% for Biden to 17% for independent Robert Kennedy in a three-way race.
But the poll also asked about whether Trump being convicted of one or more crimes would make any difference in their support for him. A solid 58% of all voters said they’d still vote for him, while 28% said it would depend on the specifics on the conviction.
However, that’s probably only going to be relevant in the potential November general election. If all the prosecutors’ cards fell their way, by the time Tennesseans vote in the March 5 primary for their choice for the Republican nominee, Trump will have heard outcomes in only a decision in a New York case of fraud about his business dealings (not likely to move the needle) and maybe the outcome of a defamation case against the former president by writer E. Jean Carroll, which is scheduled to start Jan. 16 (and unlikely to move the needle, either).