Candidates Facing Sexual Assault Allegations Should Drop Out
Most voters say allegations should end a campaign, but partisan divides continue to shape how those allegations are judged
Polling from YouGov for The Economist takes a look at how Americans view sexual assault allegations against candidates for public office, and whether they believe the political parties do a good job handling allegations involving their own candidates.
YouGov asked whether candidates for elected office who are accused of sexual assault should be able to remain in the race unless the allegations are proven, or whether they should drop out unless they can disprove the allegations.
Overall, 61% of Americans believe that candidates facing sexual assault allegations should drop out of their respective races, while only 25% say they should remain in the race until those allegations are proven true.
Democrats and Independents were more likely to say candidates should drop out, at 75% among Democrats and 60% among Independents, while Republicans were less likely to agree, at 48%.
MAGA supporters were the least likely to say a candidate should drop out, with the largest share saying a candidate should remain in the race unless the allegations are proven true, at 43%.
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When it comes to how often people believe political candidates are unfairly accused of sexual assault, the gap between the parties is quite striking.
Overall, 15% of Americans believe political candidates are often falsely accused of sexual assault, while 46% say they are sometimes falsely accused, another 34% say they are rarely falsely accused, and 5% say they are never falsely accused.
Republicans and MAGA supporters were the most likely to say candidates are often falsely accused, with 24% to 26% saying so, compared to 9% to 12% of Democrats and Independents. In addition, 57% to 58% of Republicans say candidates are sometimes falsely accused of sexual assault, compared to 35% to 47% of Democrats and Independents.
So, how do Americans think each party handles sexual assault allegations against its own candidates? For Democrats, only 22% of Americans believe the party handles such allegations well, while another 56% disagree, saying the party handles them only fairly or poorly.
The picture among Democrats themselves is not much better, with 43% saying their party handles allegations against its candidates well, while another 43% say it handles them poorly, leaving opinion split right down the middle.
Among Independents, 14% say Democrats handle sexual assault allegations well, while 55% say they handle them only fairly or poorly. The view among Republicans is even more negative, with 69% of Republicans and 75% of MAGA supporters giving the Democratic Party poor marks for how it handles these allegations.
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However, Republicans do not fare much better when it comes to handling sexual assault allegations involving their own candidates. Among all Americans, 20% say the Republican Party handles these situations excellently or well, while 60% say it handles them only fairly or poorly, putting the party in an even worse position than the Democrats.
That makes sense. Graham Platner was forced out as the Maine Senate Democratic nominee before he was even elected, while Donald Trump was elected not once but twice, all while being found liable for sexual abuse in court.
But don’t tell MAGA supporters that.
Among MAGA supporters, 55% say their party does a good job handling sexual assault allegations against its own candidates, while only 29% say it does a bad job. Among Republicans more broadly, 47% say the party does a good job, while 32% say it does a bad job.
The situation among Independents and Democrats is no better for Republicans, with 86% of Democrats and 61% of Independents saying the Republican Party does a bad job handling sexual assault allegations involving its own candidates, while only 4% of Democrats and 11% of Independents disagree.
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