Independent voters surprise pollster with reactions to Trump’s debate performance: ‘Didn’t expect it’

Dials monitoring the reaction of a Fox News focus group during Tuesday’s presidential debate showed independent voters overlapping with Republicans in support of former President Trump’s immigration policies.

Trump took aim at Vice President Kamala Harris during the ABC News Presidential Debate, blaming the Biden-Harris administration for “destroying the fabric of our country” with the influx of illegal immigration. 

The former president blamed the administration for the rise in “migrant crime,” a sentiment that seemingly resonated with not just Republicans, but a large number of independent respondents.

The focus group comprised seven Democrats, five independents, and five Republicans, and was represented by blue, yellow, and red lines, respectively. When Trump spoke of the rising crime at the hands of illegal immigrants, the yellow line monitoring the independent reaction rose drastically in Trump’s favor, overlapping with the red Republican line.

FOX NEWS VOTER PANEL SAYS HARRIS WON THE DEBATE

Lee Carter, pollster and president of Maslansky + Partners said she was shocked to see independent voters tracking with Republicans so closely on the issue.

“I was really, really surprised because the intensity of the independent support was there for Donald Trump and I didn’t expect it,” Carter said Wednesday on “The Faulkner Focus.”

“Independents are tracking very much with Republicans. They’re looking for a couple of things. They’re looking for answers on immigration, they’re looking for answers on the economy. They want to hear that things will get better for them and they also want change from what is happening right now,” Carter continued. “One of the most important things they were looking for last night from Kamala Harris is how are you going to make it different?”

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Trump and Harris faced off in their first debate on Tuesday. (Screenshot: Fox News simulcast of ABC News Presidential Debate)

An independent voter from New York who joined a voter panel Wednesday told host Harris Faulkner, “You don’t have to look any further than the five boroughs to see the impact of the migrant crisis.”

“When asked directly by the moderators, Kamala didn’t even make an effort to defend the administration’s policies at all. She can’t,” he added. “It’s indefensible, so she pivoted…but they totally rewrote all of Trump’s immigration policies year one. I would’ve liked to have seen an explanation for the country as to why they did that.”

Carter proceeded to highlight additional examples – including on fracking, abortion and the economy – where independents tracked with Republicans’ reactions.

Faulkner said the dial results indicate the GOP “better pay attention” to non-affiliated voters.

“I think the independents are tracking this way with Trump’s responses because it is obvious what’s happening across the country in these cities,” a GOP voter from New Jersey said. 

“Every single day we’re seeing destruction…crime…every single day our safety is being compromised and I think you can’t hide from that and I think it’s becoming more and more obvious and something needs to change.”

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PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – SEPTEMBER 10: Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump, debates Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris,. (Win McNamee/Getty)

Independents showed dissatisfaction with Trump while he talked about the coronavirus pandemic, but both Democrats and Republicans were consistently more supportive of the former president as he discussed the pandemic and the economy.

All three voting blocs, however, shot up in support for Trump when he said he was going to “cut taxes very substantially and create a great economy like I did before.”

Fox News’ Aubrie Spady and Bradford Betz contributed to this report.