Both Democratic and Republican voters want the presidential candidates to take to make the debt a larger campaign issue, according to recent polls conducted by Global Strategy Group and North Star Opinion Research. Voters widely agree (79%) that a presidential candidate from their party should make the national debt one of the top three priorities of his or her campaign, including overwhelming majorities of Democrats (71%) and Republicans (92%).
Voters want to hear more about the national debt during the primaries, with a clear majority (71%) agreeing that primary candidates should make addressing the debt a larger part of their campaign platforms. Only 15% of voters believe the issue should make up a smaller part of campaigns' platforms.
Furthermore, candidates can benefit electorally by committing to plans to address the debt: Of the 1,006 registered voters polled, 55% said that they would be more likely to vote for a candidate for president who supports a bipartisan plan to address the debt. A majority of voters — 51% of Democrats and 64% of Republicans — also said they would be more interested in this year's elections if candidates spent more time focusing on the issue.
For a more detailed breakdown of the polling results and methodology, check out the polling memo. If you also care about the national debt, you can let the candidates know.
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Further Reading
Quarterly Treasury Refunding Statement: Higher Borrowing Compared to Last Year
The United States is expected to borrow less over the next six months than it did over the same period last year — but there are signals that borrowing may increase in the months ahead.
How Does the National Debt Affect Inflation, Housing Costs, and the Job Market for Young People?
The unsustainable national debt poses a risk to our economic future, and young Americans may have the most to lose.
The National Debt Can Crowd Out Investments in the Economy — Here’s How
Large amounts of federal debt could “crowd out” investments by the private sector, making the economy less productive and stunting wage growth.