Since we're in the midst of the quadrennial kickoff to the presidential primary season, we thought it only right to ask voters for their opinion on a tradition that at least one state tries to buck every time.
Public Policy Polling for Daily Kos & SEIU. 1/5-8. Registered voters. MoE ±3.1% (no trendlines):
Q: Do you support or oppose Iowa and New Hampshire having the first vote on Presidential candidates every election?
Support: 26
Oppose: 37
Unsure: 37
As you can see, a plurality of registered voters—37 percent—is tired of Iowa always having the first-in-the-nation caucuses and New Hampshire hosting the first-in-the-nation primary. But feelings don't seem to run that strong, which surprises me—an equal share of the electorate either doesn't care or hasn't thought about the issue enough to form an opinion. That 37 percent, in fact, is one of the highest undecided figures we've seen in any of the questions we've ever asked. By contrast, only 3 percent were unsure in a recent question about gay marriage, and just 14 percent in what you would think is a more abstract and complicated question about unemployment benefits.
Personally, I've long been opposed to our present system, and I feel that some system of rotating primaries—especially to push states that are more representative of the country as a whole toward the front of the pack—would be preferable. But it seems like Americans aren't particularly worked up about this issue, which means, as usual, we'll have to see if politicians in some state not named New Hampshire or Iowa ever have the guts to stand up to this duopoly in another four years.
Our usual favorability & job approval numbers are below: