Poll: Most NH voters oppose prison for Trump in hush-money case
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Jun. 21—Most Granite Staters say Trump shouldn't go to prison
DURHAM — According to the first independent poll on the topic, likely New Hampshire voters said they oppose a prison sentence for former President Donald Trump following his conviction in the hush-money case involving porn star Stormy Daniels.
By a narrow margin, respondents narrowly supported a large fine as the appropriate punishment.
The University of New Hampshire Survey Center reported none of the six options offered to respondents — a large fine, prison, community service, house arrest, parole or a small fine — attracted 50% support in the poll of 1,202 likely voters conducted June 13-17.
The large fine option received 49% backing, with 43% opposed to the idea and the other 8% unsure.
On whether prison would be the right punishment, 40% said yes, 51% said no and 10% didn't have an opinion.
"Most Granite Staters do not think Trump will be sent to prison and are split on whether Trump's appeals will overturn his conviction," said Survey Center Director Andrew Smith in his summary on the poll results.
To no one's surprise, political affiliation heavily influenced responses, with 74% of Democrats and only 4% of Republicans favoring jail time for Trump. Thirty percent of independents said jail was the right option.
Among the key swing voting bloc, all six options got less than 35% support.
Among all Republicans, 41% said they opposed all forms of punishment for Trump, who called the case a politically motivated "rigged trial" against him.
The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8%.
Gender gap on jail
Trump will be sentenced July 11 on 34 felony counts. A New York jury unanimously decided May 31 that Trump falsified business records to hide payments made to Daniels before the 2016 presidential election.
Trump denied Daniels's claim that they had a sexual relationship.
Poll results reflected a gender gap. Women favored prison for Trump, 48% to 43%. Among men, 30% thought it was proper, and 58% were against it.
Opinions differed by region as well, with 55% from the Seacoast saying jail time would be appropriate, and 27% from the Connecticut River Valley along the New Hampshire/Vermont border saying they felt that way.
