A poll conducted by NBC News in August found that President Biden’s approval rating among Independents tanked and Congressional preference increased in favor of Republicans.
The poll, which took place August 14-17, in the midst of the catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan, showed President Biden’s approval rating among Independents down 15 points, his handling of the economy down 15 points, and his handling of the Wuhan coronavirus down nearly 30 points. Congressional preference among Independents swung 15 points in favor of Republicans.
15 point swing in Congressional preference among Independents since April (NBC/WSJ poll). pic.twitter.com/dYcx8pzfu5
— Bruce Mehlman (@bpmehlman) August 23, 2021
In NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, moderator Chuck Todd discussed the findings of the poll and how Independents could decide the fate of future elections.
“There's one small group of voters that make the polls move and I want to show you who they are. They're hardcore independents. This is less than 15% of our sample,” Todd stated. “They're the only people that seem to be moved by events. President Biden's job approval, in April, among independents, 61, now 46. On the economy, it dropped 15 points. On handling of Covid, it dropped a whopping 30 points. On congressional preference, you saw a swing of 15 points.”
Todd then added that Independents are the “only voters in America” who are “actaully moved by public events,” such as COVID-19 and the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“The point is, these are the only voters in America that are actually moved by public events, what's happening in the administration,” Todd said. “This group of independents, that's who’s going to decide who's in charge of our politics for the next couple of years.”