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 Nearly half of American voters who support either Democrat Hillary
Clinton or Republican Donald Trump for the White House said they
will mainly be trying to block the other side from winning,
according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Thursday.
The results reflect a deepening ideological divide in the United
States, where people are becoming increasingly fearful of the
opposing party, a feeling worsened by the likely matchup between the
New York real estate tycoon and the former first lady, said Larry
Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for
Politics.
"This phenomenon is called negative partisanship," Sabato said. "If
we were trying to maximize the effect, we couldn't have found better
nominees than Trump and Clinton."
Trump has won passionate supporters and vitriolic detractors for his
blunt talk and hardline proposals, including his call for a ban on
Muslims entering the United States, his vow to force Mexico to pay
for a border wall, and his promise to renegotiate international
trade deals.
 Former Secretary of State Clinton's appeal to voters seeking
continuity with President Barack Obama's policies, has won her a
decisive lead in the race for the Democratic presidential
nomination, but finds strong opponents among those disillusioned by
what they see as lack of progress during Obama's tenure.
The poll asked likely voters about the primary motivation driving
their support of either Trump or Clinton heading into the general
election on Nov. 8.
About 47 percent of Trump supporters said they backed him primarily
because they don't want Clinton to win. Another 43 percent said
their primary motivation was a liking for Trump's political
positions, while 6 percent said they liked him personally.
Similar responses prevailed among Clinton supporters.
About 46 percent said they would vote for her mostly because they
don’t want to see a Trump presidency, while 40 percent said they
agreed with her political positions, and 11 percent said they liked
her personally.
The April 29-May 5 poll included 469 likely Trump voters and 599
likely Clinton voters. It has a credibility interval of 5 percentage
points. (For results, click
http://tmsnrt.rs/1TLCbqX)
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To be sure, voters’ opinions could change over the next several
months. Candidates will be feted at party conventions, will square
off in a series of national debates, and will be targeted by
millions of dollars worth of advertisements.
But the negative atmosphere is likely to reign, says Alan
Abramowitz, an Emory University professor who has studied the rise
of negative partisanship in America.
Both campaigns probably will decide their best strategy is to work
even harder to vilify each other, he said.
"It’s going to get very, very negative," he added.
That would play into a longer-term trend.
A 2014 study by Pew Research Center found that Democrats and
Republicans have shown increasingly negative views toward each other
over the past few decades. In 2014 more than a quarter of Democrats,
and more than a third of Republicans, viewed the opposition as "a
threat to the nation’s well-being."
Barbara Monson, 59, a Republican from Murray, Utah, is among them.
"No matter who the Republican (nominee) is, I would have voted for
him," poll respondent Monson said of her support for Trump. "It’s
never going to be Clinton. Never."
Jo-Anne Michaud, 69, an independent voter from Abingdon, Maryland,
told Reuters she would try to keep an open mind. Although she has
voted for both Republicans and Democrats in the past, she feels
repelled by Trump.
"I used to like the guy when I watched his show," Michaud said. "But
I just hate the way he talks now. I don’t think he’s a nice person
deep down inside."
(Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Clarence Fernandez)
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