Economy, immigration most often listed as ‘extremely important’ issues by GOP caucusgoers

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The economy and immigration are “extremely important” to the vast majority of likely Iowa Republican caucusgoers as they consider presidential candidates, topping a list of 11 issues tested in a new Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll.

Half or more of likely caucusgoers also say government spending and the deficit, and some foreign policy concerns, such as the Israel-Hamas war and relations with China, are also “extremely important”.

These new poll findings reflect what Republican candidates often cite on the campaign trail or hear from Iowans as they travel the state head of the Jan. 15 caucuses.

Conversely, only about a third or less of likely GOP caucusgoers name the Russia-Ukraine war (33%), transgender issues (32%) or ethanol and renewable energy (27%) as “extremely important” issues.

And only about one in 10 likely GOP caucusgoers name climate change (10%) and vaccinating against COVID-19 (9%) as “extremely important” issues.

The poll of 404 likely Republican caucusgoers was conducted Oct. 22-26 by Selzer & Co. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.

Concerns over inflation, government spending are high priorities for likely GOP caucusgoers

Nearly all likely Republican caucusgoers surveyed feel the economy and inflation is an extremely important (81%) or important (18%) issue as they consider which candidate to support this January, the Iowa Poll found. Only 1% say it’s not that important.

Government spending and the deficit is also an extremely important issue to 72% of likely Republican caucusgoers. Another 25% say the issue is important, while just 3% say it is not that important.

For poll respondent Jack Schulte, a 63-year-old Elkhart resident, concerns about inflation and government spending go hand in hand.

The rising cost of living is a major concern to Schulte, and he said he believes President Joe Biden’s administration is recklessly spending on priorities that don’t address those concerns for taxpayers. He pointed to the $20 billion approved by the Biden administration earlier this year to fund clean energy projects.

“We’ve got to stop the spending,” said Schulte, an industrial technology teacher at Northwest High School in Waukee. “I don’t know why there’s a blank check that they just keep spending.”

Schulte said he plans to support former President Donald Trump in the caucuses.

Security at southern border another top concern

Eighty percent of likely Iowa Republican caucusgoers say immigration and border security is an extremely important issue, and an additional 17% say it's important. Only 4% say the issue is not that important.

Poll respondent Chris Wellendorf, a 33-year-old food service director at the Forest City Community School District, said he wants to see stricter policies at the southern border to decelerate illegal immigration and a stronger “vetting process” for those looking to cross the border legally. The Forest City resident plans to support Trump in the Jan. 15 caucuses, saying he agrees with the former president’s stance on immigration.

“Without having the proper channels of legal immigration in place, it’s hard to know who is arriving, and I don’t believe that’s a very secure circumstance,” Wellendorf said. “I think it’s in the best interest of the American people to understand who’s coming, why they’re coming and how they could better be incorporated into society.”

Poll respondent Nathan Nieuwendorp, a 33-year-old from Inwood, agrees the country should have strong scrutiny for immigrants crossing the border, but he opposes any policies that make it hard for migrants to come into the country legally.

Nieuwendorp operates a farm near Inwood and said he and other farmers often struggle to fill critical agriculture jobs. By streamlining the legal process for migrants to come into the country, he said he believes they can help alleviate the workforce shortage that his industry and other rural businesses often face.

“It’s not something that everyone wants, and I understand that, but these are jobs that need to be done to continue to provide quality, safe, affordable food for the people of America,” said Nieuwendorp, who recently hired two migrant workers on his farm.

Half or more of caucusgoers say Israel-Hamas war and relations with China are ‘extremely important’

On foreign policy issues, 57% of likely Republican caucusgoers rank the Israel-Hamas war as extremely important. Another 37% say the Israel-Hamas war is important, while 6% say it is not that important.

Concerning relations with China, 50% say the issue is extremely important. Forty percent say relations with China are important, and 10% say they are not that important.

However, just 33% of caucusgoers say the Russia-Ukraine war is extremely important. Another 48% say it is important and 19% say it is not that important.

Kathryn Feldt, a 57-year-old Republican poll respondent from Roland, said the Israel-Hamas war is extremely important.

She said she’s not a Biden supporter but praised his response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel: “When he does something right or when he does well, I do acknowledge that.”

Post-incursion, Biden and his administration “are being supportive of Israel, they’re saying a lot of the right things, they are responding militarily to attacks on our soldiers.”

But she has more confidence in Trump to handle the conflict, saying he was “a strong leader” who made clear to world leaders when he was president what he would and wouldn’t tolerate.

“I think just being the person who he is would help calm things down a little bit,” she said. “And he did show that he was a friend to Israel by moving the embassy to Jerusalem.”

Feldt, a homemaker, called the Russia-Ukraine war important but said she has “some reservations” about the amount of money the United States is spending to aid Ukraine.

“Does that mean I think we should abandon them? No,” she said.

“I feel like we need to do a better job of looking where our money is going and making sure it’s being used properly.”

On relations with China, which she called extremely important, Feldt said the U.S. needs to be more aggressive in confronting China for stealing intellectual property and buying up U.S. land.

“We’ve been sort of letting them run rampant, and we need to stop them,” she said.

Post-Roe, less than half of likely Iowa Republican caucusgoers see abortion as ‘extremely important’

Forty-one percent of likely Republican caucusgoers say abortion restrictions are extremely important, the Iowa Poll shows, which comes more than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which had legalized abortion nationwide in 1973. Another 38% say the issue is important to them.

Meanwhile, 20% say the issue is not that important as they evaluate the Republican primary field, and 1% aren’t sure.

Poll respondent Kathy Kaptein, a likely Republican caucusgoer who is still deciding which presidential hopeful to support in January, said a candidate’s stance on abortion is the most critical issue to her when making that decision.

The 73-year-old Sioux Center resident said she would like to see a federal ban on abortion. She supports a near-total ban, with limited exceptions, such as in cases of rape or if the mother’s life is in danger.

“It’s a living being at conception,” Kaptein said. “It’s a living baby.”

Transgender issues, such as athletic participation or gender-affirming care for minors, are extremely important to 32% of likely caucusgoers, and important to another 31% of likely caucusgoers.

Thirty-five percent say the issue is not that important, and 2% aren’t sure.

Poll shows ethanol, climate change as far down the list of 'extremely important' issues

A little over a quarter (27%) of likely Republican caucusgoers say ethanol and renewable energy is extremely important, while 42% say the issue is important. Thirty percent say the issue is not that important.

Asked about climate change, 10% view the issue as extremely important and another 23% believe it is important. About two-thirds (66%) say the issue is not that important.

Poll respondent Jack Rife, a farmer from Wilton who served as a member of the Iowa Senate for nearly 20 years, said he believes the U.S. should put more emphasis on domestic energy production such as ethanol to reduce the country’s reliance on foreign energy.

While he’s not opposed to solar or wind energy, the 80-year-old said the country’s current infrastructure can’t support broad use of those energy sources. Therefore, he said the nation’s energy strategy also needs to include increased domestic production of coal and oil.

“I don’t want to rely on anyone for my energy that heats my home,” Rife said.

Few say vaccinating against COVID is ‘extremely important’ issue, poll shows

As a new vaccine against COVID-19 arrives in pharmacies and clinics across the country, the issue’s importance is low among likely Republican caucusgoers. The poll shows 9% view it as extremely important and 15% as important.

The majority — 76% — say vaccinating against COVID-19 is not that important as they evaluate presidential hopefuls, while 1% aren’t sure.

Michaela Ramm covers health care for the Des Moines Register. She can be reached at mramm@registermedia.com, at (319) 339-7354 or on Twitter at @Michaela_Ramm

Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.

About the Iowa Poll

The Iowa Poll, conducted Oct. 22-26, 2023, for The Des Moines Register, NBC News and Mediacom by Selzer & Co. of Des Moines, is based on telephone interviews with 404 registered voters in Iowa who say they will definitely or probably attend the 2024 Republican caucuses.

Interviewers with Quantel Research contacted 3,028 randomly selected voters from the Iowa secretary of state’s voter registration list by telephone. The sample was supplemented with additional phone number lookups. Interviews were administered in English. Responses for all contacts were adjusted by age, sex and congressional district to reflect their proportions among voters in the list.

Questions based on the sample of 404 voters likely to attend the 2024 Iowa Republican caucuses have a maximum margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points. This means that if this survey were repeated using the same questions and the same methodology, 19 times out of 20, the findings would not vary from the true population value by more than plus or minus 4.9 percentage points. Results based on smaller samples of respondents — such as by gender or age — have a larger margin of error.

Republishing the copyright Iowa Poll without credit to The Des Moines Register, NBC News, and Mediacom is prohibited.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa Poll: What issues are most important to likely GOP caucusgoers?