One Country Hears Rural Americans on Impeachment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  

September 27, 2019

CONTACT: [email protected] 

One Country Hears Rural Americans on Impeachment

Rural Americans Are Talking About Impeachment - And The Jury Is Still Out

WASHINGTON, D.C. – One Country Project (OCP) today released another installment of its social media listening project, which analyzes how rural Americans active on social media are discussing political topics and policy issues. This report focuses on how Americans in Wisconsin and Minnesota are reacting to the impeachment inquiry into President Trump’s July 25 phone call with the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.

“Since the launch of One Country Project we have emphasized the importance of listening to rural Americans, and when you do you might hear some things that surprise you – especially around impeachment,” said founding board member and former North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp. “In both Minnesota and Wisconsin, more Americans have expressed pro-impeachment sentiment than not, and a plurality in both states are discussing the process with an open mind. While partisan politicians may be firm on their position before the inquiries have even run their course, it is clear that large swaths of America are still undecided on whether impeachment is the right – or wrong – course of action for Congress to take.”

OCP observed social media traffic from September 24 to 26, and the analysis identified a few key preliminary insights:

• Predictably, partisan Democrats and Republicans are retreating into their corners and digging in.
• Democrats are more likely to express a desire for justice – to right a wrong and hold the president accountable – whereas Republicans are viewing this through a political lens as a stunt by Democrats to derail the president’s chances for reelection in 2020.
• In both states, the plurality of conversation was notably neutral, with the discussion centered on the importance of the inquiry and concern over using the proper processes to protect our constitutional democracy.

In the full report HERE, OCP lays out additional details on observations and the results of the analysis. This report is the latest of an ongoing series of social listening memos and data released by OCP.

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About One Country Project  

The One Country Project, led by former Senators Heidi Heitkamp and Joe Donnelly, is working to promote greater opportunities for rural communities and ensure leaders earn their support. One Country is reengaging with rural Americans, serving as a clearinghouse of research and information for rural Americans, and working to ensure leaders regain trust by fighting for these communities. To learn more, visit the website, OneCountryProject.org.