On Saturday, Spencer covered the results of a Rasmussen poll from earlier this month looking into how likely voters feel about the January 6 select committee. The indicated 49 percent of respondents approve of the committee, while 66 percent think Congress should be investigating the violent protests from last summer. It's not just this one poll, though. A Morning Consult/POLITICO poll also shows that support is dropping for the commission among voters. A poll was also conducted in June to gauge voter sentiment on the committee.
Support is at 58 percent, while last month, 66 percent were in support of the committee. A Morning Consult write-up from Eli Yokley acknowledges that this shift comes from Republicans and Independents, while Democratic support remains statistically unchanged, at 82 percent in June and 83 percent in July.
That Democrats would be so supportive is hardly surprising. The decreasing support from Republicans and Independents is still noteworthy, however.
Independent support dropped by double digits, and indecision rose by double digits. In June, 65 percent were in support, with 12 percent undecided, and 22 percent opposed. Now, 52 percent are opposed, with a whopping 22 percent undecided, and 26 percent opposed.
In June, the plurality of Republican support at 45 percent was within the margin of error compared to the 43 percent opposed. Thirteen percent were undecided. That being said, 68 percent of Republicans in June agreed with a statement that "there has been too much focus on the January 6th events at the U.S. Capitol."
Come July, a majority of Republicans, at 52 percent, now oppose the committee. Thirty-four percent are opposed and 14 percent are undecided.
Perhaps the most key aspect when it comes to how Republican voters feel is that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is catering to what his base wants.
As Yokley acknowledges:
The survey was conducted after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said he would not appoint any Republicans to the select committee following House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s refusal to seat Republican Reps. Jim Banks of Indiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio due to their past statements and actions. The California Democrat responded by naming Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) to join her other Republican appointee, Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, in a move to boost the group’s bipartisan credentials.
McCarthy’s actions – coupled with the posture of the GOP electorate – mirror previous Morning Consult polling that found more Republican voters want to disassociate their party from the insurrection and move on. At the time of the June survey, 68 percent of Republican voters said there had been too much focus on the events of Jan. 6, compared with 23 percent of Democrats and 36 percent of independents who agreed.
Republicans have stuck to a unified message in that by denying the voices of members such as Banks and Jordan, Nancy Pelosi is only allowing for there to be a narrative that fits her agenda and will not be accepting any "tough questions."
Rep. Banks made this argument on Sunday's "Fox News Sunday," which I covered here.