A person walks past a voting sign at the East Point Library on Tuesday, the first day of early voting, in Atlanta.
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Some key voters say their deep frustration and disappointment with President Trump is driving their election plans just weeks before Election Day.
NPR observed two online focus groups Tuesday evening with 12 Georgians who voted for President Biden in 2020 and then supported Trump in 2024.
Nearly all voters – 11 out of 12 – said they were disappointed with the overall job Trump had done. And 10 said they regretted voting for him.
“I was disappointed,” said Charles P., 43, who identifies as a Democrat. (Voters participated on the condition that their last name not be used.)
“I just don’t feel like there’s anything positive about this administration,” he continued. “Inflation has only gotten worse, there have been more wars. Tariffs have done nothing. It seems like we have more enemies than ever. I just don’t see anything positive in his term.”
Richard A., a 56-year-old Republican, said he has been unemployed for 10 months and sees a long list of problems in the direction the country will take under Trump.
“Food crisis, outbreak of war with Iran, inflation,” he said. “ICE immigration has torn families apart and caused deaths. … It seems like everything has gone downhill.”
These comments align with Trump’s flagging approval ratings and the darkening mid-term outlook for Republicans. Trump has resumed his campaign trips in recent days, touting his record and pleading for the Republican Party to retain control of Washington.
These focus groups with swing voters are organized every month in battleground states across the country. They are run by messaging company Engagious and market research recruitment company Nelson Recruiting. NPR partners with them every month as part of the Swing Voter Project.
Focus groups aren’t scientifically meaningful like polls, but they provide insight into what voters think. And in this case, they provide insight into how voters decide who they will support this fall.
Turn to the Democrats
Rich Thau, president of Engagious, moderates these focus groups. He said that for the first time this year, a majority of swing voters said Trump would influence their decisions in the midterms.
“In previous months, when we asked people if President Trump would influence their vote, they would say things like, ‘Well, I mainly look at the candidates themselves,’ or ‘I look at the general environment of the country,'” Thau said.
“This month, seven out of 12 people said he would influence them to vote for Democrats. And that was new.”
Karla S., a 49-year-old Democrat, was one of these seven people.
“I voted Republican for 2024,” she said. “I’ve made my decision. I’ve been so disappointed that I’m going to go straight and just do Democrat, Democrat, Democrat. Because I’m so disappointed with the way this administration has behaved.”
Cedric, a 41-year-old independent, said he would not vote for any politician closely aligned with Trump.
“I think we’re not going in the right direction, so I don’t want to vote for a candidate who won’t stand up to him or follow his policies,” he said. “I’m looking for something different.”
Ten of the twelve participants said they planned to vote for Georgia’s Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff. Some voters said they wanted to keep him in power specifically because he would not be aligned with Trump.
Restore order
Thau said some voters felt that if Democrats took control of Congress, it could bring some needed stability to the country — and the economy in particular.
“There was some sense that the Democrats might restore some semblance of order and that they would be able to control a little bit of what the president is trying to do or has done, to the point that it might restore some of their confidence in the economy,” he said.
That’s what Thomas M., a 65-year-old independent voter, said was his expectation of a Democratic-led Congress.
“I think there would be more checks on Trump with people not afraid to stand up to him,” he said.
On the other hand, if Republicans retain power, Thau said “some respondents told us they think the president would have even more control over what happens because Republicans are afraid to stand up to him.”
Jennifer W., a 43-year-old Republican, said she feared “Trump would have carte blanche.”
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