Poll: South Carolina residents split on fairness of 2020 presidential election, CRT

South Carolina residents are evenly split on whether the 2020 presidential election was fair and accurate, according to the latest Winthrop Poll.

“Belief, or at least desire to publicly express belief, in the premise that the outcome of the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent remains a major partisan point of division. While no widespread fraud was found, it remains a touchstone of Republican identity in South Carolina to vocally express doubt," Winthrop Poll Director Scott Huffmon said in a press release.

Here are some of the key presidential findings from the Winthrop Poll:

►47% of South Carolina residents said it was a fair election, while 45% said it wasn’t. Of those responding, 85% of Democratic responders said it was fair, while 77% of Republicans said it wasn’t.

►President Joe Biden's national approval rating is at a record low of 39%. His approval rating among South Carolina residents who expressed an opinion is at 32%. Additionally, 68% who expressed an opinion said they disapproved of Biden’s performance. As for former President Donald Trump, a little over half of S.C. residents gave him a favorable rating, while 83% of Democrats gave Trump an unfavorable nod.

►Trump remains popular with those who self-identify as Republicans, 89% of whom view him favorably.

Read more: How Donald Trump's influence in South Carolina could be tested in 2022 elections

The poll ratings for South Carolina leaders:

►Republican Governor Henry McMaster has a 55% approval rating by those who expressed an opinion. More than 80% of GOP respondents approved of him, while 88% of Democrats do not.

►U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) registered a 58% disapproval rating among the general public, but a 65% approval rating among self-identified Republicans.

►U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) has a 66% approval rating among the general public and an 89% approval rating among Republicans.

For subscribers: Sen. Tim Scott's pro-Trump fundraising letter raises question of who it’s meant for

►Former Republican Governor Nikki Haley received a 63% favorable rating from all respondents, while a little more than half of Democrats viewed her as unfavorable. She remains popular with self-identified SC Republicans with a favorable rating of 82%.

Race, cancel culture continue to be divisive issues in South Carolina

►80% of white poll respondents said they have not been discriminated against in the past year based on their race, while 43% of Black respondents said they were.

►Nearly half of residents said they did not share their political opinions out of fear of being verbally attacked or harassed.

"Cancel culture is alive and well in the minds of South Carolina Republicans. Half of self-identified Republicans noted that they were afraid to publicly express their political opinions out of fear of harassment compared to only 37% of Democrats," Huffmon said.

CRT in schools: Majority of public support current materials, quarter say it's biased

►62% were familiar with public debates and discussions about critical race theory. Of those, 44% said they were in favor of proposed laws that would forbid teaching anything related to critical race theory in public schools. Almost 70% of Republicans favored proposed laws, while 80% of Democrats opposed them. Half of white respondents favored the ban, while 65% of Black residents opposed it.

►Only a third of all respondents said to leave alone the memorials to Confederate soldiers who died during the Civil War. Around a fourth of residents said to add a marker for context, while 30% said to move them to a museum. Half of Black residents said to move them to a museum.

Related reporting: How South Carolina observes Confederate Memorial Day and how that could change

►The Confederate battle flag reminds 43% of S.C. residents of white supremacy and conflict. Half of white respondents said the flag is more a symbol of Southern pride, while 70% of Black respondents attributed the flag to feelings of racial conflict.

You can read the full results of the Winthrop Poll here, along with the methodology of the poll and how it was funded.

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: SC residents split on fairness of 2020 presidential election, CRT