EXCLUSIVE — The overwhelming majority of
Republican
primary voters want their party’s
presidential contenders
to prioritize culture war issues in
education
and health, a new poll found.
The poll, conducted by OnMessage Inc. and commissioned by the American Principles Project, found that Republican primary voters were more likely to support presidential candidates who champion parental rights causes, support banning sex change procedures for minors, and endorse requiring age verification to view online pornography.
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The poll found 93% of respondents said they were more likely to support a Republican presidential candidate that prioritized parental rights efforts, including curriculum transparency and being informed about school activities.
And 76% of respondents said that they were more likely to back candidates that support banning sex change procedures for minors, including puberty-blocking drugs and cross-sex hormones, as well as surgeries. In addition, 86% of respondents said they were more likely to support a candidate that endorsed requiring age verification to access pornographic websites.
Support for non-culture war-related issues was far more muted — 59% of GOP voters said they were more likely to support a candidate who wanted to enact a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants, and 50% of voters said they were less likely to support a candidate who supported providing military aid to Ukraine.
“GOP leaders and candidates should take from this poll one important lesson: voters expect them to fight wokeness,” American Principles Project President Terry Schilling said. “Support for policies protecting families from gender ideology is off the charts, with the majority of the base showing a strong preference for tackling these issues. Meanwhile, approval of Republican establishment priorities was much more muted, with most of those surveyed even agreeing that GOP elected officials have given up too much ground in the culture war.”
The poll also found that, in a two-way race for the Republican presidential nomination, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis secured 53% of Republican primary supporters while former President Donald Trump earned 38%. The poll did not include other contenders, such as former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley or former Vice President Mike Pence.
“Any candidate who expects to win a Republican primary next year for any office needs to lead on cultural issues in order to win over voters,” Schilling said. “Perhaps the two most prominent leaders on these issues so far have been Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis, so it should be no surprise they are far and away the favorites in the presidential field. It’s time for the rest of the party to pay heed and set their priorities accordingly.”
Trump, who announced his bid to return to the White House in November, has outlined an education policy agenda that leans heavily into the culture wars, including eliminating all diversity, equity, and inclusion programs within schools.
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DeSantis has yet to announce a presidential campaign, but his policy agenda in Florida has repeatedly made national headlines for a number of initiatives aimed at combating so-called “woke” education. Most recently, DeSantis vowed to abolish DEI departments in the state and refused to allow an AP African American Studies course to be piloted in the state because it favorably discussed slavery reparations and “Black Queer Studies.”
The poll, which has a sample size of 1,000 likely Republican primary voters, was conducted between Jan. 30 and Feb. 5. The margin of error is 3.1%
