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The Issues that Voters keep bringing up at their doors [1]
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Date: 2025-04-28
Every once in a while, i come away from canvassing with strong impressions of what voters are talking about. This can be reinforced by what other volunteers recorded in their own canvassing experience.
Hope Springs from Field PAC’s [dated website] volunteers have been knocking on doors in (now) 11 states since March 1 (February 1st in FL-06). 14,932 volunteers have now knocked on more than 1,300,253 doors and there are definitely issues that are coming to the top of the list. Inflation remains at the top of that list — why hasn’t the price of eggs fallen to where president felon promised remains a popular question. But, since March 29, a new issue has emerged that voters in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas & Virginia are talking about. And that is tariffs, and how the promised tariffs are considered to be impacting voters.
The immediate impact seems to be that voters are stocking up in fear of tariffs. “I bought a new car quicker than I planned to because the salesman talked about how Trump’s tariffs is going to distort the car market this Summer,” one voter complained. “I didn’t get what I thought I deserved on my trade-in, either.”
Lots of fear out there in the Trump economy. But that’s probably what he wanted. Chaos, a word that comes up more often than you’d think.
Remember, we are knocking on the doors of (~40%) Democrats and (~60%) unaffiliated or independent voters, so we aren’t exactly getting a even view of the overall electorate. We aren’t doing a survey, we are voter outreach and using our Issues Survey as a method for sparking a conversation among voters we hope will be coming out to vote Democratic in the mid-terms.
Voters are turning significantly against DOGE and budget cuts. Voters have told us they knew someone “who spent hours on the phone with Social Security” and blamed DOGE for that fact.
“They must think we’re stupid if they think that’s why they got elected.” Apparently, that accusation cuts both ways. And voters aren’t too keen on politicians thinking they are stupid.
“I hate thinking Democrats were right,” was another comment from a voter in Georgia.
Or this one: “I thought Trump knew what he was doing.” Really? What i want to know is why anyone thought that, but that’s just me. We teach volunteers not to correct or challenge voters in their thinking because no good can come of that. We want to smile and leave behind a good/great experience with voters who may (probably are) having their first experience with a Democratic canvasser at their door.
One voter even told me that he was surprised when talking to one of our canvassers in one of my 10-10-10 phone calls that they didn’t try to come off as a know-it-all. “He let me talk, and I appreciated that. Took copious notes, which, frankly, I asked to see — and he let me!”
So it was no surprise to us when the WashPost wrote, “Trump’s approval rating is lower than for any past president at the 100-day mark in their first or second terms. ”
Most presidents enjoy a honeymoon during their first months in office, only to see their ratings decline later in the first year. Trump may be an exception.
And i will admit, hailing from the D.C. area (now) what voters are telling us about Trump’s attacks on the federal bureaucracy. “A strong America demands a strong federal government,” one unaffiliated voter told me when i followed up with him after talking to one of our canvassers (in a 10 voters/10 volunteers/10 organizers phone call). “Not a strong executive, a strong federal government!” He was emphatic.
Hope Springs from Field PAC began knocking on doors again on March 1st. We target Democrats and unaffiliated voters with a systematic approach that reminds them not only that Democrats care, but Democrats are determined to deliver the best government possible to all Americans. The voters we talk to continue to tell us they come away more invested in governance and feel more favorably towards Democrats in general because of our approach.
Obviously, we rely on grassroots support, so if you support field/grassroots organizing, voter registration (and follow-up) and our efforts to protect our voters, we would certainly appreciate your support:
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