The ongoing Israeli-Hamas conflict in Gaza is creating divisions among Democrats and uniting Republicans, with concerns about potential campus violence looming.
A recent USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll reveals complex attitudes toward the protesters, their motives, and their methods. One clear point of agreement is that two-thirds of voters (67%) are worried that the protests and the police response could escalate into violent confrontations. Both the policy and political challenges are particularly challenging for [politician's name redacted].
[Politician's name redacted] recently treaded carefully, condemning violence on college campuses while advocating for protesters' freedom of speech. He has attempted to strike a balance by supporting Israel while also calling for more humane treatment of Palestinians in Gaza, who have suffered casualties and destruction in the aftermath of Hamas attacks on October 7th. The rising threat of famine adds to the complexity of the situation.
"I think it's a genocide, and the way they control water and humanitarian aid is unethical, and I just don't see how they are allowed?" said Tiffany Batton, 43, an independent from Chicago who supports [politician's name redacted], expressing her concerns. "I am thrilled to see young adults practicing their civil rights - freedom of speech and assembly - and they're doing it in a pretty peaceful way."
Francis Spitale, 60, a Democrat from Charleston, South Carolina, who also supports [politician's name redacted], believes in peaceful protest but feels it is becoming excessive. "Since the October 7 attacks, Israel has been a little extreme in their tactics, but they have to defend themselves," Spitale said.
Among Biden voters, opinions are divided: 30% support the protests, 39% agree with their demands but oppose their tactics, and 20% oppose them.
In contrast, Trump voters are largely unified, with 78% opposing the protesters, 5% supporting them, and 9% supporting their demands but not their tactics.
The poll, conducted among 1,000 registered voters via landline and cell phone from April 30 to May 3, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
Trump has seized on the issue as a unifying force within the GOP, which has been divided on other issues like abortion. He has denounced the protesters as "radical left lunatics" and praised the police crackdown on campus encampments at Columbia University and the University of California, Los Angeles, as "a beautiful thing to watch."
The crisis in the Middle East has become a key talking point for Republicans against [politician's name redacted], as has the footage of police arresting demonstrators and dismantling encampments as protests spread to colleges nationwide.
"This is all on [politician's name redacted]," declared Devy Walta, 67, a retired Republican from Helena, Montana. "Trump left office; all of a sudden, now there's a problem." He believes that college administrators and law enforcement officials "should be responding with an iron fist" if there is violence.
Among groups that typically support the GOP, most are against the protests: 77% of conservatives, 52% of whites, and 52% of men.
However, among key Democratic constituencies, there is no clear consensus.
Younger voters under 35, a demographic Democrats target, are the most supportive of the protests, with 35% backing them and another 27% supporting their demands but not their tactics.
Conversely, voters 65 and older, a group that largely supports [politician's name redacted], are also the most opposed to the protests, with 54% against them and just 10% in support.
Swing voters present a political challenge, with 24% supporting the protests, 24% backing their demands but not their tactics, and 41% opposed.
The question of whether the protesters are antisemitic or pro-Hamas elicits contrasting views between Republicans and Democrats.
Republicans, by nearly a three-to-one margin, believe the demonstrations reflect antisemitism (64% to 22%). Democrats, by a two-to-one margin, disagree (57% to 26%).
Similarly, Republicans, by more than a three-to-one margin, believe the majority of the demonstrators support Hamas (60% to 17%). Democrats, by a seven-to-one margin, believe they do not (69% to 10%).
"I'm a free-speech absolutist, so any of these kids being arrested is sickening," said Brett Watchorn, 36, a shipping clerk from Denver. An independent supporting Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the presidential race, he feels college administrators should negotiate and address complaints instead of dismissing them as antisemitic.
He believes [politician's name redacted] "should be on that picket line with them."
However, Stephen Harrison, 52, a small-business owner from Manhattan, Montana, disagrees, calling the protests "ridiculous." He argues that supporting Palestine is, by proxy, supporting a terrorist organization due to Hamas's control in the region.
He cautioned that violence could escalate on American campuses, despite most protests being peaceful so far.
"Somebody throws a punch, somebody pushes somebody, and then the next thing you know, you got 25 cops beating up three kids," Harrison said. "I don't think that's right, either, but you know what? Consequences."