A new Reuters/Ipsos poll reveals a stark reality in American politics: deep partisan divides mean many voters are willing to overlook significant controversies to prevent the opposing party from gaining power.
This “lesser of two evils” mentality is evident in the cases of Democrat Graham Platner, a Maine Senate hopeful with a Nazi-linked tattoo, and Republican Ken Paxton, the Texas Attorney General facing a fraud indictment.
The six-day poll, which concluded on Monday, found that two-thirds of party-aligned respondents would vote for a candidate they dislike simply to stop the other party from winning.
This principle will be tested in upcoming elections, including a Maine primary on Tuesday where Platner, an oyster farmer, seeks a Senate seat crucial to Democratic hopes of securing a majority in November.
Nationwide, only 17% of Democrats familiar with Platner indicated his tattoo of a Nazi-style skull-and-crossbones would deter them from voting for him if they could participate in Maine’s election.
Similarly, 17% of Republicans familiar with Paxton stated they would not vote for him due to his decade-old indictment on charges of defrauding investors, were they able to vote in Texas’s Senate election.
Both the Maine and Texas races could prove pivotal in determining control of the Senate, where Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority. Campaigns for Platner and Paxton did not respond to requests for comment.
The poll, which surveyed 4,531 U.S. adults nationwide, including 546 Democrats familiar with Platner and 712 Republicans familiar with Paxton, had a margin of error of 2 percentage points overall and 4 points for the specific groups familiar with the candidates.
The “lesser of two evils” sentiment was widespread, with 76% of all respondents, including similar proportions of Democrats and Republicans, acknowledging they often vote this way in U.S. elections.
Platner has publicly apologized for the chest tattoo, claiming he got it nearly two decades ago while drinking with fellow Marines and was unaware of its Nazi associations. He covered it with another tattoo last year after launching his campaign.
Further scrutiny has fallen on Platner, including reports of sexually explicit messages exchanged with women while he was married. He has apologized for the texts, dismissing reports about them and other past behavior as politically motivated.
Despite these controversies, Platner is considered a strong contender against Republican Senator Susan Collins.
He has campaigned on a populist message, arguing that Maine has become unaffordable for working-class people, and has secured endorsements from prominent figures such as Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, and Bernie Sanders, an independent U.S. senator who caucuses with Democrats.
Mia Costa, a Dartmouth College political scientist, noted that Platner’s rise reflects increasing political polarization, with voters feeling they “just have to focus on not putting the other side in power.”
In Texas, Paxton, who secured his primary victory with an endorsement from Donald Trump, faces a challenging general election against Democrat James Talarico. Following his indictment, Paxton was impeached by the Texas House, and his wife filed for divorce last year on biblical grounds.
He has consistently denied all wrongdoing, asserting the allegations are politically motivated.
Independent voters could be a significant factor in both races. Six in 10 unaffiliated respondents indicated their vote was more likely to reflect support for the candidate rather than party affiliation.
Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University, suggested that “The more ‘normie’ candidate, as some people call them, will be trying to prevail among independents by pointing to the flaws of the candidate with issues.”
Talarico’s campaign recently highlighted an endorsement from Dan Cogdell, Paxton’s former defense lawyer.
Some Democrats, including U.S. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, have drawn parallels between Platner’s ability to overcome controversy and Donald Trump’s political ascent. “Trump set a new standard,” Warner said on ABC’s “This Week.” “Whether that low standard is what we ought to proceed with, I think it’s going to be again in the hands of the voters.”
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