Politico Poll Shows MAGA Voters Unshaken by Scandals — Including Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Allegations
Key Takeaways
- •Core MAGA voters remain steadfast in their support for Trump and Republican candidates regardless of controversy, while Trump is losing traction with non-MAGA Republicans and independent voters.
- •Two-thirds of self-identified MAGA voters would continue supporting a GOP candidate accused of sexual assault, compared to 40 percent of Harris voters who would back a Democrat under the same circumstances.
- •The single most damaging scenario for Trump's MAGA support would be sharing classified information with a foreign government, yet even then 57 percent of supporters would not waver.
- •For issues including DUI convictions, domestic violence, lobbyist gifts, workplace bullying, and wearing blackface, more than 70 percent of MAGA voters said the matter would not affect their backing.
- •Political scientists attribute this pattern to deepening partisan identity over the past two decades, with voters increasingly judging scandals through a tribal lens rather than applying uniform standards.
President Donald Trump once famously claimed that his supporters were so loyal he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue without losing their backing. A new Politico poll suggests that assertion still holds among his most devoted base.
The survey finds that core MAGA voters remain steadfast regardless of controversy. However, Trump appears to be losing traction with non-MAGA Republicans and independent voters — a distinction with significant implications for the 2026 midterms, where control of Congress will hinge on competitive districts where swing voters often decide outcomes. Previous reporting has indicated that some MAGA supporters have grown disillusioned, feeling they were "lied to" by the president.
That unwavering loyalty now extends to other Republican candidates as well. According to Politico, GOP candidates "confronted with an array of scandals, from a DUI conviction or accepting lobbyist gifts to more serious accusations including domestic violence, sexual assault and antisemitic social media posts" continue to retain MAGA support.
"Two-thirds of self-identified MAGA Trump voters say they would continue supporting a GOP candidate accused of sexual assault — 13 percentage points higher than the share of Trump 2024 voters writ large, which include those who do not identify as MAGA," Politico reported. "By comparison, 40 percent of voters who backed former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024 would continue backing a Democratic candidate accused of sexual assault."
The divide underscores a broader pattern documented by political scientists: as partisan identity has deepened over the past two decades, voters increasingly evaluate scandals through a tribal lens rather than applying uniform standards across parties.
The poll also examined which scenarios might erode Trump's own support among MAGA voters. The single most damaging issue would be sharing classified information with a foreign government — yet even then, 57 percent of his supporters said they would stand by him. Antisemitic statements would prompt only 42 percent to waver, with 58 percent saying they would continue their support.
An accusation of sexual assault or the sale of misleading medical treatments would not deter 66 percent of MAGA voters. If Trump lied about having a terminal illness, 69 percent said they would stick with him. For all other issues surveyed — including a DUI conviction, domestic violence, accepting lobbyist gifts, workplace bullying, and wearing blackface — more than 70 percent of supporters said the matter would not affect their backing.
"Scandal doesn't mean what it did 15 years ago. The rules have changed, and Republican voters know it," longtime Republican strategist Ford O'Connell told Politico. "Republicans, particularly MAGA voters, have learned that Queensberry rules don't win in modern politics. Today it's a full-contact fight, more UFC than civics class, and anything goes."