Chart Pack: July 2023 Political Trends in the U.S.

In July 2023, Morning Consult’s analyses of the U.S. political landscape covered a range of key topics, including voters’ perceptions of “wokeness,” opinions on the Supreme Court’s decision on affirmative action, and views on their governors and senators. With the 2024 GOP primary election and the subsequent general election approaching, these topics will remain relevant to voters as they determine which candidates to support.

This pack of more than a dozen charts highlights key data from our analyses of U.S. political trends in the month of July.

Chart Pack highlights:

• Vulnerable Democrats continue to outperform Joe Biden’s approval rating. In Montana, Sen. Jon Tester’s net approval rating exceeds Biden’s by 51 points, marking the most significant popularity advantage for a Democratic senator over the Democratic president among states with competitive elections in the coming year.
• Vermont Gov. Phil Scott is America’s most popular governor: More than 3 in 4 voters in his state approve of his job performance, compared with 22% who disapprove. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ approval has dipped slightly since he began his run for president. Although the majority of Florida voters (54%) still approve of his job performance, the share who disapprove has increased from 38% to 42% since April.
• A majority of potential GOP primary voters (55%) define “wokeness” as “forcing a liberal ideology on American society.” Only a quarter see it as “advocating for social equality and acceptance in American society.” Additionally, most GOP primary voters perceive wokeness to be as threatening as domestic terrorism (57% for each). 
• About 3 in 5 U.S. voters (61%) approve of the Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action at colleges and universities. Two in 5 voters believe ending race-conscious admissions policies won’t impact the quality of higher education.