72% Of MAGA Voters Would Still Back GOP Candidate Accused Of Domestic Violence, Poll Finds

A Politico poll, conducted by research firm Public First, found that a large majority of self-identified MAGA voters would continue supporting a Republican candidate even after serious misconduct allegations.

Key Findings

The survey reported that 72% of MAGA voters said they would still vote for a Republican candidate accused of domestic violence if the midterms were held tomorrow—higher than the 61% of all Trump 2024 supporters who said the same. By contrast, only 39% of respondents who said they would back former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024 said they would continue supporting a Democratic candidate accused of domestic violence.

The poll showed a similar split on allegations of sexual assault: 66% of MAGA voters would stick with a Republican accused of sexual assault, compared with 53% of Trump voters overall and 40% of Harris 2024 supporters who would keep backing a Democratic candidate facing the same accusation.

Tolerance Across Multiple Scandals

When respondents were presented with a dozen hypothetical scandals, none of the scenarios drove support among MAGA voters below a majority. Highlights include:

• 82% would still support a GOP candidate who used legal tax loopholes.
• 76% would back a candidate with a prior DUI conviction.
• 75% would remain with a candidate who accepted gifts from lobbyists.
• 74% would continue supporting a candidate photographed in blackface or accused of workplace bullying.
• 58% would still back a Republican who made antisemitic statements.
• 57% would support a candidate who shared classified information with a foreign government.

Partisan Double Standard

The poll also highlighted a sharp partisan double standard over whether candidates should leave a race after identical scandals. 71% of Republicans said a Democratic candidate accused of sexual assault should drop out, but only 52% said the same of a Republican in the same situation. Democrats showed a smaller gap—roughly a five-percentage-point difference—being somewhat more likely to say a Republican should withdraw than a Democrat accused of identical misconduct.

Methodology

The online survey was conducted from July 12–15, interviewed 2,061 U.S. adults, and has an overall margin of error of approximately ±2.16 percentage points. Questions presented respondents with a range of hypothetical misconduct scenarios and asked whether they would continue supporting a candidate accused of each behavior.

Why it matters: The findings illustrate deep partisan differences in how voters weigh allegations of serious misconduct and suggest that a committed base—particularly among MAGA supporters—may tolerate behavior that would be disqualifying to other voters. That dynamic has implications for nomination contests and general-election strategies.