Fatalities from COVID-19 are reducing Americans' support for Republicans at every level of federal office

Between early March and 1 August 2020, COVID-19 took the lives of more than 150,000 Americans. Here, we examine the political consequences of the COVID-19 epidemic using granular data on COVID-19 fatalities and the attitudes of the American public. We find that COVID-19 has led to substantial damage...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science advances 2020-10, Vol.6 (44)
Main Authors: Warshaw, Christopher, Vavreck, Lynn, Baxter-King, Ryan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Betacoronavirus - isolation & purification
Coronavirus
Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology
Coronavirus Infections - mortality
Coronavirus Infections - virology
COVID-19
Federal Government
Humans
Pandemics
Pneumonia, Viral - epidemiology
Pneumonia, Viral - mortality
Pneumonia, Viral - virology
Politics
SARS-CoV-2
SciAdv r-articles
United States - epidemiology
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Summary:Between early March and 1 August 2020, COVID-19 took the lives of more than 150,000 Americans. Here, we examine the political consequences of the COVID-19 epidemic using granular data on COVID-19 fatalities and the attitudes of the American public. We find that COVID-19 has led to substantial damage for President Trump and other Republican candidates. States and local areas with higher levels of COVID-19 fatalities are less likely to support President Trump and Republican candidates for House and Senate. Our results show that President Trump and other Republican candidates would benefit electorally from a reduction in COVID-19 fatalities. This implies that a greater emphasis on social distancing, masks, and other mitigation strategies would benefit the president and his allies.
ISSN:2375-2548
2375-2548
DOI:10.1126/sciadv.abd8564