OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Former Republican Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney wanted to do damage to President-elect Donald Trump so she decided to give her endorsement to his opponent, former Democrat presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris.
But unfortunately for her and the vice president, her endorsement was akin to the iceberg endorsing the Titanic as it appears to be one of the many issues that handed Pennsylvania and Michigan to the president-elect.
A new poll conducted by Data for Progress showed that the former Republican representative’s decision to campaign with the Vice President in the days before the election in those two states actually decreased enthusiasm for her among key demographics.
“The Cheney endorsement made nearly 3-in-10 independent Pennsylvania voters less enthusiastic about Harris’ campaign,” the firm said.
“Voters believed Donald Trump would address this core issue of the economy more than Harris. Voters also heard more from Trump on economic issues than they did from Harris, and considered Trump to be the “change candidate.” However, Trump’s own voters expect him to increase taxes on billionaires and big corporations, expand Medicare, and address kitchen table issues like corporate grocery price gouging and “junk fees.” Together, these findings provide clarity about Harris’ campaign decisions — and Trump’s mandates moving forward,” it said.
The survey showed that the vice president’s decision to campaign with the anti-Trump Republican took attention from her populist economic message and damaged her with voters.
The Cheney endorsement made nearly 3-in-10 independent Pennsylvania voters less enthusiastic about Harris’ campaign
– Data for Progress – pic.twitter.com/fXonQb7H1x
— Polling USA (@USA_Polling) November 22, 2024
“Our polling finds that Pennsylvania Independents were 18 points more enthusiastic to vote for Harris when campaigning on economic issues, and 7 points less enthusiastic to vote for Harris when campaigning with Cheney, – a swing of 25 points. In Michigan, Independents were 11 points more enthusiastic to vote for Harris when campaigning on economic issues and 7 points less enthusiastic when campaigning with Cheney — a swing of 18 points. In both states, 70% of voters said Harris campaigning with Cheney either had no impact on their enthusiasm or made them less enthusiastic,” the polling firm said.
“By wide margins, Pennsylvania and Michigan Independents and Republicans — the audience Harris was looking to win over — said the economy was their top issue when voting. This finding emphasizes why diverting resources to campaigning with Cheney in the final days, instead of doubling down on Harris’ messaging regarding popular economic issues, may have decreased enthusiasm for Harris among key voters,” it said.
The president-elect focused more on speaking about the economy than his opponent did which led to gains among voters in the two key states, the report showed.
“Overall, these findings underscore how central the economy and the economic pain of the past few years were in shaping voter decisions in Pennsylvania and Michigan. While Harris ran on a popular economic agenda, she was ultimately unable to convince voters that she, not Trump, would usher in the changes they wanted to see, lower prices, and challenge bad actors and special interests. However, most voters supported the policies Harris was running on, Trump voters included. Looking ahead, this polling has identified areas of overwhelming support for progressive, populist economic policies, suggesting that executing these policies should be a priority for the incoming administration,” it said.
“Morning Joe” co-host Mika Brzezinski addressed a statement put out by Cheney addressing Trump’s victory during a Wednesday segment with writer and international affairs analyst Tom Nichols.
“And she says, she tweeted this out, ‘Our nation’s democratic system functioned last night and we have a new president-elect. All Americans are bound, whether we like the outcome or not, to accept the results of our elections,” Brzezinski said, quoting Cheney.
“We now have a special responsibility as citizens of the greatest nation on Earth to do everything we can to support and defend our Constitution, preserve the rule of law, and ensure that our institutions hold over these coming four years. Citizens across this country, our courts, members of the press, and those serving in our federal, state, and local governments must now be the guardrails of democracy,'” the co-host added.