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Evan Vucci, Associated Press
A recent New York Times
column wondered “Why Can’t The Republican Party Quit Trump?” It’s one of many opinion pieces written by those who long for the return of the pre-Trump Republican Party. Like many other such articles, this opinion piece wonders if the Republicans have become an “ideas-free party” that favors a fighting attitude over substantive policy concerns.
However, the polling data tells an entirely different story.
Since last fall, I’ve regularly asked a question about issue preferences:
“Suppose you had a choice between four presidential candidates. All four had equal skills and temperament. Would you prefer a Republican who supported policies like President Trump, a more traditional Republican, a Democrat who supported policies similar to Sen. Bernie Sanders, or a more traditional Democrat?”