New Virginia Poll Finds Trump Blamed for Shutdown and DOGE 2.0 Threats Unpopular, Huge Issue for Sears

New Virginia Poll Finds Trump Blamed for Shutdown and DOGE 2.0 Threats Unpopular, Huge Issue for Sears

57% of voters in Virginia oppose Trump’s plan to enact mass federal layoffs because there is a shutdown, which Sears has refused to oppose

A new poll conducted by Public Policy Polling shows that Virginia voters blame Donald Trump for the government shutdown and his threats to fire more federal workers are deeply unpopular. The poll also finds Sears’ refusal to oppose Trump’s threats to fire more federal workers is a huge vulnerability.

Key findings include:

• 57% of voters oppose Trump’s plan to enact mass federal layoffs because there is no agreement to keep the government open, compared to only 32% who support it.

• 54% of voters have concerns about Sears refusing to oppose Trump’s threats to cut the federal workforce during the shutdown.
• 46% of voters blame Trump and Republicans for the shutdown, compared to 37% who blame Democrats in Congress.

• 52% of voters would prefer a governor who opposes Trump’s firing of federal workers vs. only 39% of voters would prefer a governor who works with Trump to enact his agenda.

This comes as Sears has tied herself directly to Trump’s job-killing agenda, refusing to tell Trump not to fire more Virginia workers in a government shutdown, downplaying the impacts of Trump and DOGE’s attacks on Virginia’s workforce, mocking those who lost their jobs, and claiming that job cuts were not “real issues.”

“This poll confirms what we already know: Virginians are fed up with Winsome Sears and her support for Trump’s disastrous agenda and ongoing attacks on Virginia jobs,” said DGA Communications Director Sam Newton. “Virginians want a governor who will put them first — and the longer this shutdown goes on and Trump continues to threaten to fire more federal workers, the worse it gets for Winsome Sears.”

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