Majority of Tennessee Trump Voters Say Conviction Would Not Change Their Vote: Poll

A majority of Tennessee voters who support former President Donald Trump said they will not vote for another candidate if the former president is convicted of any of the charges levied against him in four states and by the federal government.

The Nashville-based Beacon Center of Tennessee published data on Thursday indicating that 58 percent of voters who support Trump “would still vote for him” even if he “were to be convicted of one or more of the crimes that he has been charged with before the next election.”

An additional 28 percent of respondents told pollsters their decision “would depend on the specific circumstances of the conviction.” In comparison, only 8 percent of Trump supporters said a conviction would cause them not to vote for the former president.

Pollsters said the survey of 1,302 Tennessee voters, conducted between December 14, 2023, and December 28, 2023, had a margin of error of 2.66 percent.

The poll also suggested Trump has expanded his lead over President Joe Biden, who he is now beating by 31 points in a head-to-head contest with the support of 61 percent of Tennessee voters. The poll showed Biden was supported by 30 percent of Tennessee voters, while just 9 percent remained undecided.

In November 2023, a poll found Trump had the support of 51 percent of voters and a 23-point lead over Biden.

Trump’s lead shrunk to 48 percent when independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was included in the race, and Biden’s share of the vote similarly diminished to 23 percent. Kennedy polled at 17 percent of support, and his inclusion in the race increased the number of undecided voters to 12 percent.

Should Trump decide to terminate his candidacy, the pollsters found that 42 percent of Republicans would support Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley were tied at 16 percent of support, followed by former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie at 7 percent.

If Biden should decide not to seek another term, pollsters found 30 percent of Democrats would vote for Vice President Kamala Harris. Senator Bernie Sanders (I) polled second at 17 percent, followed by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at 16 percent, California Governor Gavin Newsom at 11 percent, and Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at 9 percent. Eleven percent of Democrats said they were not sure who they would vote for should Biden end his campaign.

The survey also found that 35 percent of Tennessee Democrats support State Representative Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) to challenge Senator Marsha Blackburn (R) for her seat in the U.S. Senate.

Pollsters did not include a head-to-head polling including Blackburn, but a November 2023 poll found she would retain her seat in a 20-point victory against Johnson.

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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].