GOP voters like Trump because he won't compromise: Pew poll

Trump-supporting Republicans are less likely than voters who support other GOP presidential candidates to favor political compromise on issues, according to a new poll Pew Research Center published Thursday.

About 63 percent of former President Trump’s voters want their candidate to focus on pushing for GOP policy in office rather than working with Democrats, more than supporters for any other GOP primary candidate. 

Republican voters are split overall, with exactly half of respondents emphasizing compromise.

Among other GOP candidates, supporters of former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley support compromise the most, with 72 percent of respondents saying they want the GOP candidate to work across the aisle. Just over half of supporters for Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) back compromise over partisanship, the poll found.

Trump’s support makes up a significantly larger proportion of GOP voters than support for other candidates, as the former president holds a wide lead in national primary polls. Trump holds a 51-point lead over DeSantis and Haley, who are about tied at 11 percent support, according to The Hill/Decision Desk HQ primary polling average.

Two thirds of GOP voters polled in the Pew survey said they believe the primary won’t even be close. Just over half, 56 percent, of respondents sad they find the campaign dull.

The poll comes just a month before the Iowa caucus, the first vote of the presidential primary season. Trump holds a smaller, but still significant, lead over rivals in the Hawkeye State, according to The Hill/Decision Desk HQ primary polling average.

Trump takes about 50 percent support in Iowa, while DeSantis and Haley trail with 19 and 17 percent support, respectively.

The Pew poll surveyed about 5,200 people between late November and early December, with a margin of error of 1.8 percent.