Swing state Trump voters feeling 'anxious' and 'angry' about about two key issues

During the 1990s and 2000s, Georgia was known for being staunchly Republican while its neighbor to the south, Florida, was a volatile swing state. Former President George W. Bush carried Florida twice, and so did his Democratic successor, Barack Obama.

But in 2026, it's the exact opposite: Florida is a Republican stronghold, while Georgia is a swing state with a conservative two-term GOP governor (Brian Kemp) and two Democratic U.S. senators (the Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff). President Donald Trump lost Georgia to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020 but won the Peach State by roughly 2 percent in 2024 (compared to around 13 percent in Florida).

Ossoff is up for reelection in the 2026 midterms, and Democratic strategists and organizers are fighting hard to keep the seat. Republicans, meanwhile, consider Ossoff vulnerable and believe the seat is in play for them. But according to National Public Radio (NPR), the war in Iran could be a problem for the GOP in the midterms.

On Tuesday night, April 14, NPR's Ashley Lopez reports, swing voters in Georgia participated in two focus groups — and they don't agree with Trump's claim that the Iran war is going well.

"When asked how the conflict makes them feel," Lopez explains in an article published on April 16, "a group of 13 of these voters used words like 'afraid,' 'angry,' 'concerned,' 'sad' and 'despair.' Many said they were worried that the war was being mishandled and was likely to continue causing more economic pressures back home. The voters participated in two online focus groups Tuesday night conducted by messaging and market research firms Engagious and Sago as part of the Swing Voter Project. NPR is a partner on the project and observed both groups "

According to Lopez, all 13 of the Georgia residents voted for Biden in 2020 and Trump in 2024.

"Seven identified as independents, five as Republicans and one as a Democrat," Lopez reports. "And not a single voter said they would describe the military action in Iran as going well so far, despite Trump's claims that the U.S. has decimated Iran and that the war is 'very close to over.'"

Egagious President Rich Thau told NPR, "They are very anxious, some angry, upset when they hear about the war. They are not happy that we are there."

Nick H., a 28-year-old independent and one of the 13 swing voters, is highly critical of Trump's handling of the Iran war.

Nick H. said of Trump, "It's about calculation, his inability to calculate. It's clear that he completely underestimated the opponent here…. He couldn't look at the Ukraine war and see the drones and have the foresight to go, 'Oh, maybe Iran could use drones and drone technology.'"

Bryan M., a 24-year-old independent, also believes that Trump underestimated the Iranian military.

Bryan M. said of Iran, "They're destroying our most advanced weapons. And our weapons shouldn't be destroyed that easily because they're more advanced than Iran's…. No one can predict where this economy's going to go with the oil prices rising and the food prices rising."

The Georgia voters in the focus groups also expressed frustration over the economy and inflation.

Dawn H., a 46-year-old Republican, lamented, "Everything is higher now. It's not going down like he said. Cost of living of everything — food, oil, housing, health care, you name it."

Joe J., a 56-year-old independent, complained, "(Trump) said, Day 1, he was going to bring the prices down on eggs and other things. He's cut subsidies to health insurance, so that's gone up. I see my pocketbook being hit, and he's building a new ballroom for some reason that we don't need. How about you put some money toward us?"

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