A new poll suggests that the minimum wage could play a significant role in six upcoming competitive races—and it doesn’t look good for Republicans.
The polling from liberal Public Policy Polling found that in Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, and North Carolina, there is broad support for upping the minimum wage to $10.10, and that Republican candidates’ objection to this policy makes voters less likely to back them.
All six states are in tight races for Senate or Governor.
The voters in each state supported a higher minimum wage by 14-28 point margins. An average of 80% of Democrats and 30% of Republican voters in each state supported increasing the minimum wage.
A majority of those polled also said they would blame Republicans if the minimum wage is not increased.
The most support for minimum wage legislation was in Illinois, where voters backed it by a 28-point margin and were less likely to vote for a Republican who opposed raising the wage by 30 points.
