As a part of a series of webinars discussing the effects of COVID-19 on many aspects of society, The Atlantic hosted a webinar called “COVID-19: The 2020 Campaign” In this webinar, viewers watched two different discussions, one featuring pollsters Cornell Belcher and Sara Fagen, and another featuring political journalists Adam Harris and Amy Walter.
To watch the entire webinar, click here.
In the discussion featuring Belcher and Fagen, the pollsters discussed perspectives on President Trump’s response to the pandemic thus far. Interestingly, they both point out that Trump’s approval ratings have stayed very constant throughout his entire presidency at around 46%, even during this global crisis. This is quite shocking as usually such large events prompt change in support, whether it be good or bad. This observation aligns with another one of Belcher’s and Fagen’s observations, that the COVID-19 response has emphasized a partisan divide, as each party has a different priority in the matter: public health protection vs. Economic recovery. In the discussion, the pollsters also comment on the need and hope for COVID-19 to result in long-term election improvements, such as expanding vote-by-mail options. No one should have to choose between their safety and their right to vote. Thus, action must be taken to ensure this is not a decision that has to be made during the 2020 election.
Journalists Harris and Walter then discussed how COVID-19 is having larger effects on down-ballot races, rather than the presidential election. Candidates running in smaller state races have had to completely shift their campaign strategies as engaging directly in-person with voters is not as feasible. Additionally, if changes to voting policies are not made, certain parts of the electorate that typically receive a great deal of targeted outreach, may have a very low turnout. Additionally, COVID-19 presents greater challenges for challengers over incumbents, as incumbents have greater notoriety during the pandemic and usually much more money/fundraising abilities.
