NEW POLL: 1 in 5 Republicans Hold ‘Favorable’ View of Putin — More Than Double Everyone Else

Sergei Guneyev/Sputnik, AFP via Getty

Although most GOP voters view him unfavorably, Republicans were twice as likely as everyone else to hold a “favorable” view of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Respondents to a YouGov poll released this week were asked “Do you have a favorable or unfavorable view of Vladimir Putin?”

Among all respondents, just 10 percent answered “Somewhat favorable” or “Very favorable,” while a combined 76 percent held unfavorable views of Putin.

Democrats were least likely to hold “Somewhat favorable” or “Very favorable” views of Putin at 7 percent, with independents at 8 percent. But among Republicans, 18 percent had views of Putin that were “Somewhat favorable” or “Very favorable” — more than double the other groups. The only other group polled to show similar support for Putin was young voters 18 to 29 years of age, at 20 percent. Every subgroup polled held unfavorable views of Putin by clear majorities, the lowest being 60 percent for young voters.

Another poll this week found that a plurality of Republican voters said they would not view someone who praises Putin less favorably, with 45 percent saying they would view those people less favorably, 46 percent saying it wouldn’t affect their opinion, and another 3 percent saying they would view such people more favorably.

These results come after weeks of figures popular in Republican politics offering praise for Putin, from former President Donald Trump’s seemingly constant offerings to the steady diet of Russia apologia from Tucker Carlson.

On the other hand, another recent Quinnipiac poll found that while stories of Ukrainian grit and heroism dominated the news in the United States, only one group of voters said they would be unwilling to stay and fight for their country if the United States were to be invaded in the same way Ukraine is:

As the world witnesses what is happening to Ukraine, Americans were asked what they would do if they were in the same position as Ukrainians are now: stay and fight or leave the country? A majority (55 percent) say they would stay and fight, while 38 percent say they would leave the country. Republicans say 68 – 25 percent and independents say 57 – 36 percent they would stay and fight, while Democrats say 52 – 40 percent they would leave the country.

That’s probably just as well, since Republicans have most of the guns.