(The Center Square) – Former President Donald Trump’s felony convictions in New York did not hurt his numbers in Tennessee.
In fact, Trump’s 34 felony convictions for falsifying documents made 34% of Tennesseans more likely to vote for him while just 22% said it made them less likely to vote for him, according to a new Beacon Center poll of 1,200 in the state.
The poll showed Trump holds a 30-point lead over President Joe Biden and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the state.
“The numbers on Trump’s guilty conviction are fascinating and, in some ways, counterintuitive,” said Beacon Center Vice President of Communications and Outreach Mark Cunningham. “A substantial percentage of Tennesseans believe that the charges were political but also believe he did commit a felony.
“While some voters who say they are more likely to vote for Trump after the conviction were already Trump voters, it’s clear that Trump did gain a number of voters since the last poll, with the lion’s share defecting from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.”
A 57% portion of respondents believe the charges against Trump were political while 38% believe he is guilty of a felony and 41% say he is not guilty.
The poll showed voters most support Nikki Haley (14%) as Trump’s vice president pick over Vivek Ramaswamy (9%), Sarah Huckabee Sanders (8%), Marco Rubio (7%), J.D. Vance (7%), Tim Scott (6%), Tulsi Gabbard (5%), Doug Burgum (3%) and Elise Stefanik (3%).
The poll also showed Sen. Marsha Blackburn holds a 20-point lead among likely voters over State Rep. Gloria Johnson and a 21-point lead over fellow Democrat Marquita Bradshaw in potential head-to-head matchups.
The poll found 47% disapprove of the job the Tennessee Legislature is doing while 43% approve. Republicans approve of the job with 65% approving and 24% disapproving while 72% of Democrats disapprove and 18% approve.
