FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 12, 2019
CONTACT: [email protected]
Pro-Impeachment Sentiment Rises Among Rural Netizens
Support for Impeaching the President Jumps Five Percent in Two Weeks
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the One Country Project (OCP) released the sixth installment of its impeachment social media listening project, which analyzes how rural Americans active on social media in Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin are discussing the impeachment inquiry.“President Trump’s strongest supporters may have dug in their heels, but rising support for impeachment among online commentators in target rural counties shows plenty of Americans are still making up their minds on the issue,” said OCP founding board member and former North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp.
“The echo chamber of MAGA loyalists have accepted the Republican Party line. However, the five percent surge in support of impeachment since November 24, taken together with the two percent drop in anti-impeachment sentiment, illustrates a real shift in public opinion.
“I think it’s abundantly clear rural communities across the country are growing tired of the president’s lies and weary of the Republican Party’s nonsensical rhetoric and determination to put their party over country.”
OCP observed social media traffic from November 24 to December 9, and the analysis identified several key insights:
- Discussion volume around impeachment declined substantially, despite the unveiling of articles of impeachment by the House Judiciary Committee.
- Neutral discussion has decreased along with a rise in pro-impeachment discussion volume.
- Anti-impeachment has remained largely steady, dipping by two percent while regurgitating similar messaging as in past weeks, namely that the impeachment process has been politically motivated from the start.
- Pro-impeachment sentiment has spilled over from condemning the acts of the president into also holding his defenders and Republican enablers culpable. These discussions rarely focus on the political implications of impeachment for Democratic candidates in 2020.
This is the latest of an ongoing series of rural social listening memos and data released by OCP.
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About One Country ProjectThe One Country Project, led by former Senators Heidi Heitkamp and Joe Donnelly, is working to promote greater opportunities for rural communities and ensure leaders earn their support. One Country is reengaging with rural Americans, serving as a clearinghouse of research and information for rural Americans, and working to ensure leaders regain trust by fighting for these communities. To learn more, visit the website, OneCountryProject.org.