Republican Politicians Fighting Biden’s Plan, but Republican Voters in WI Like Some of ‘Em

Poll: GOP voters give overwhelming approval to fixing roads, lead pipes, child care affordability, paid family and medical leave.

Recent polling of more than 500 likely Wisconsin voters shows that a chorus of opposition from Republican politicians is failing to convince Republican voters in the state that they should stop supporting the proposals coming from President Joe Biden.

The GOP voters in the poll supported Biden’s American Rescue Plan, are almost evenly split on the American Jobs Plan, and more than one-third support the president’s American Families Plan and give overwhelming support to some portions of each package. 

“This data reflects exactly what our team is hearing on the ground—there is broad, bipartisan support for President Biden’s plans to build back better,” said Peter Drummond, state director of For Our Future Wisconsin, one of the partner groups in the coalition that commissioned the poll. “We’re finding that the more specific we are about the individual elements of the president’s plans to create jobs and raise wages, the more eager people are to support them, especially when they hear that these plans are paid for by ensuring the very wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share in taxes.”

In the survey of 539 people, 81% said they had received a $1,400 stimulus check and 72% expressed support for the American Rescue Plan that included the checks. The coronavirus relief and stimulus plan enjoys Republican support by a 50%-44% margin. It passed Congress in January with no Republican votes.

Related: Green Bay Gets Big Help From the COVID Bill. Their Congressman Says He Hates It.

Biden’s infrastructure proposal, the American Jobs Plan, has 70% overall support. Among Republicans in the survey, 45% support the plan while 49% oppose it. However, some elements such as upgrades to roads, water systems, broadband access, and better home health care for seniors, get better than 80% Republican support in Wisconsin. Debate over the proposal—which would also spur research and development and make improvements to school buildings—is still in the early stages as Biden seeks GOP support in Congress, however Republicans have expressed misgivings over the $2 trillion price tag.

Biden’s American Families Plan has 59% overall support, including 58% of independents and 36% of Republicans. Two of the plan’s elements—ensuring all workers have paid family and medical leave and making child care more accessible and affordable—each have 70% Republican support. Funding the $1.8 trillion plan by proposing “that the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share in taxes” has 55% Republican support.

The poll, conducted April 30-May 4 with a 4-point margin of error, was commissioned by Real Recovery Now, a coalition of labor and progressive organizations promoting the Biden plans.  The survey was done by Data for Progress using web panel respondents. The sample was weighted to be representative of likely voters by age, gender, education, race, and voting history. The group did similar polling in nine other states and found majority support for all three Biden legislative packages.

As if to affirm the self-identified partisan leanings of the respondents, they were also asked if they approved of the job President Biden is doing so far, and only 18% of the Republican respondents said they did. Biden’s overall job approval in the poll was 56%, with 58% approval among independents.