With 67 days until the United States presidential election, which is expected to be very close, one poll suggested that Republican nominee Donald Trump may be improving his odds with single-issue crypto voters.
According to the results of a poll released by Fairleigh Dickinson University on Aug. 30, 801 US voters who said they owned digital assets said they were more likely to vote for Trump over Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in November. The nationwide poll conducted between Aug. 17 and Aug. 20 said Trump had a 12-point lead over Harris among registered voters who own crypto, while Harris had a 12-lead lead among non-crypto holders.
“Trump has been reaching out to the crypto community, and it seems to have paid off,” said Fairleigh Dickinson professor Dan Cassino. “It might be easy to dismiss them as insignificant, but I don’t think people realize exactly how widespread crypto ownership is.”
Source: Fairleigh Dickinson University
The poll did not specifically ask voters about the presidential candidates’ policies on cryptocurrencies or blockchain, which has been changing as the election approaches. Trump has publicly shifted from calling Bitcoin (BTC) a “scam” in 2021 to having his campaign defend miners and accept crypto donations in 2024.
Since launching her campaign on July 21, Vice President Harris has largely remained silent on digital issues. During the Democratic National Convention, a Harris aide reportedly said the presidential candidate would “support policies” for the growth of the crypto industry.
Related: Kamala Harris campaign may focus on highlighting innovation over crypto
The poll also occurred before Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced suspending his campaign and pledged to support Trump in 2024. It’s unclear whether single-issue crypto voters who supported RFK Jr. will automatically move to Trump, as the Independent candidate seemed to draw support from many, including those leaning Democrat or Republican.
Close election
Kennedy will still appear on the ballot in many states in November. Due to the Electoral College system in the US, if a presidential candidate wins a state — except Maine and Nebraska — they carry all the electors from that state. A candidate carrying one state has previously been decided by as few as 11,000 votes from a population in the millions.
“The fact that crypto owners aren’t conservatives or liberals or MAGA voters means that they’re up for grabs, and in an election that’s expected to be close, they’re too big a group to ignore,” said Cassino.
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