Poll Finds 27-Point Swing in White Suburban Women to Republican Party Ahead of Midterms

Voters wait to cast their midterm election ballots at Burton Barr Library, a polling station in Phoenix, Ariz., on Nov. 6, 2018. Nicole Neri/Reuters

White suburban women have significantly shifted their support to Republicans from Democrats in just the past few weeks, a new poll reveals.

The survey, conducted by The Wall Street Journal, found (pdf) that white suburban women are now favoring Republicans for Congress by 15 percentage points, a 27-point move away from Democrats since the last WSJ poll in August.

“We’re talking about a collapse, if you will, in that group on the perceptions of the economy,” GOP pollster Tony Fabrizio told the WSJ. Fabrizio carried out the paper’s poll along with Democratic pollster John Anzalone.

The survey found that 54 percent of white suburban women believe the United States is in a recession, while 74 percent believe the economy is headed in the wrong direction. In the previous WSJ poll, 43 percent of that demographic thought the economy entered a recession, and 59 percent believed the economy was headed in the wrong direction.

Dana Gianassi, 68, of Lincoln, California, said in an interview with the newspaper that she’s voting straight Republican for the first time ever. Gianassi, an independent, said that she feels that “Democrats are ruining our country,” and expressed concerns about high prices and rampant illegal immigration.

“It is impacting us personally. I came out with a few grocery bags and I paid $120,” Susan Smith, 76, of Perkasie, Pennsylvania, told the paper. “I eat Cheerios every morning and they’ve doubled in price.”

Data provided by the Department of Labor last month showed year-over-year Consumer Price Index inflation rose by 8.2 percent for September, running near highs not seen in 40 years.

Republicans have repeatedly hammered Democrats for supporting massive spending packages and for supporting climate-related policies such as suspending the Keystone XL pipeline, ending new oil drilling leases on federal lands, and ending some federal subsidies. On Oct. 31, President Joe Biden warned he would target oil companies with a windfall profit tax, accusing those firms of “war profiteering.”

The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $3.76 while diesel stands at around $5.31 per gallon, according to AAA. Diesel is the fuel used by long-haul trucks, freight trains, and other vehicles. If the price of diesel remains high or goes up, it will likely cause grocery and consumer goods prices to remain elevated or increase.

“Experience proves that adding new taxes to punish companies actually hurts consumers,” Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement this week. “In this case, it will raise gasoline prices by removing the incentive to produce and refine more oil. To lower our energy costs we need a long-term energy strategy focused on boosting production, not finger-pointing.”

The poll included 1,500 registered voters reached via phone and text between Oct. 22 and Oct. 26. It has a margin of error of 5.7 percentage points or up to 8 points on some of the individual policy questions.