Polls: Only 20% of Republicans back Iran ground troops
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- AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found 63% of Republicans support airstrikes on Iranian military targets but only 20% back deploying U.S. ground troops, with 62% of all Americans opposing ground deployment
- Data for Progress poll (mid-March) showed 68% of all respondents opposed ground troops in Iran, including 48% of Republicans, 85% of Democrats, and 71% of independents
- Quinnipiac University poll (March 6-8) found 74% of voters oppose U.S. ground troops in Iran, with 52% of Republicans, 95% of Democrats, and 75% of independents opposed
- Fox News poll showed 62% of voters disapprove of Trump overall, while 64% specifically disapproved of his handling of the Iran conflict
- Trump voter Donnie Beson, a 68-year-old Colorado man, told AP he still doesn't regret backing the president but urged him to "worry about us" and focus on domestic issues over a "billion-dollar-a-day war"
- Republican support for the broader war continues but is declining, with GOP voters particularly souring on ground troops, leaving Trump at risk of repeating the legacy damage the Iraq and Afghanistan wars did to George W. Bush
Why it matters: Three independent polls (AP-NORC, Quinnipiac, Data for Progress) converging on roughly 20% support for ground troops—even among Republicans—gives the administration a clear signal: deploying boots in a midterm year could alienate MAGA voters, and any prolonged deployment with U.S. casualties risks permanently damaging Trump's standing much as the Iraq war did to George W. Bush.
