US Voters Likely to Back Unliked Candidates: Poll Finds

Two-thirds of party-aligned respondents indicated they sometimes have to vote for a candidate they don’t like just to prevent the opposing party from gaining power, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Monday.

In Maine, Democratic oyster farmer Graham Platner is seeking a Senate seat seen as crucial to Democrats’ hopes of winning a majority in November. Despite his Nazi-linked tattoo, 17% of Democrats familiar with him said it would not stop them from voting for him if they could vote in Maine’s election.

In Texas, Republican Ken Paxton faces an indictment on charges of defrauding investors. The same share of Republicans nationwide said they would refrain from voting for Paxton if they could vote in the state’s Senate election in November.

The poll surveyed 4,531 US adults nationwide, including 546 Democrats familiar with Platner and 712 Republicans familiar with Paxton. It had a margin of error of 2 percentage points overall and 4 points for respondents familiar with the candidates.

Seventy-six percent of poll respondents said they often have to vote for the lesser of two evils in US elections. Despite controversies, Platner is seen as a strong contender to oust Republican Senator Susan Collins, while Paxton triumphed in Texas’s primary election after winning President Donald Trump’s endorsement.

Independent voters will be a wildcard in both races, with 60% of those who described themselves as unaffiliated saying their vote would reflect support for the candidate on the ballot.