Georgia swing voters who backed Joe Biden in 2020 before switching to Donald Trump in 2024 have expressed deep dissatisfaction with the president, with many now indicating they may support Democrats in the midterm elections.
Eleven of the 12 participants in two online focus groups said they were disappointed with Mr Trump’s performance, while 10 said they regretted voting for him. Seven said the president would influence them to vote for Democrats this autumn.
The groups, held in Georgia, involved voters who had supported both parties in the last two presidential elections. Their views offer an indication of how some politically movable voters are approaching the campaign, although focus groups are not statistically representative in the way polls are.
Charles P., a 43-year-old Democrat, said he could see no positive results from the administration.
“I just don’t feel like there’s any positive to this administration at all,” he said. “Inflation has only gotten worse, there’ve been more wars. The tariffs haven’t done anything. It seems like we have more enemies now than ever. I just don’t see anything positive with his tenure.”
Richard A., a 56-year-old Republican who said he had been unemployed for 10 months, also criticised the direction of the country under Mr Trump.
“Food crisis, starting the war with Iran, inflation,” he said. “ICE immigration has just torn families apart, has caused deaths. … It just seems like everything has gone downhill.”
Georgia voters turn towards Democrats
Rich Thau, president of Engagious, which moderates the monthly sessions, said it was the first time this year that most of the swing voters had said Mr Trump would affect their midterm decisions.
“In previous months, when we asked people whether President Trump would influence how they vote, they would say things like, ‘Well, I’m looking mainly at the candidates themselves,’ or ‘I’m looking at the overall sort of environment in the country,’” he said.
“This month, seven out of 12 said that he would influence them to vote for Democrats. And that was new.”
Karla S., a 49-year-old Democrat who voted Republican in 2024, said she now intended to vote for Democrats throughout the ballot.
“I’ve been so disappointed that I’m just going to go straight and just do Democrat, Democrat, Democrat,” she said. “Because I’m so disappointed with how this administration has been doing.”
Cedric, a 41-year-old independent, said he would not support politicians closely aligned with Mr Trump.
“I think we’re not going in the right direction, so I don’t want to vote for a candidate that’s not going to stand up to him or they’re going to go along with his policies,” he said. “I’m looking for something different.”
Ten of the 12 participants said they planned to vote for Georgia’s Democratic senator, Jon Ossoff. Some said they wanted to keep him in office because they believed he would not be aligned with Mr Trump.
Mr Thau said some voters viewed Democratic control of Congress as a way of imposing greater limits on the president and bringing more stability to the country and the economy.
Thomas M., a 65-year-old independent, said he expected a Democratic-run Congress to provide stronger checks on Mr Trump.
“I think there would be more controls placed on Trump with people who are not afraid to stand up to him,” he said.
By contrast, Mr Thau said some participants believed that a Republican victory would give the president greater freedom to act because members of his party were reluctant to challenge him.
Jennifer W., a 43-year-old Republican, said she feared Mr Trump would have “free rein”.
The focus groups are conducted each month in battleground states by messaging firm Engagious and market research recruiting firm Nelson Recruiting. They form part of the Swing Voter Project.
