Louisiana's presidential primary day is near, but many Power Pollers not excited

When Louisiana’s turn to vote in the presidential primary comes on March 23, voters may not be excited to go to the polls.

If Lafayette Power Poll voters are any indication for overall voter attitude, turnout could be lukewarm at best. Voters in this month’s poll were asked their feelings heading into that election day, and the results were not good.

Most said both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are too old for the job, and slightly more viewed another Trump term more unfavorable than another Biden term. But fewer voters predicted a Biden win than a Trump win come November.

There’s some unpacking to do here, but there’s a good chance you’ve heard all the arguments several times by now. And by the time Louisiana voters get their turn, how the Pelican State votes will and how it will impact the national scene will be anticipated about as much as the mid-day sun in August.

The big day is Tuesday when 15 states will be holding their primaries.

Age, for one, is what everyone is talking about. You’ve got one guy (Biden) who is already the first president in office while in his 80s and another guy (Trump) who, if he wins, would be the second by the end of his term.

Most voters nixed them both when it came to age question with half saying they were too old for office. About 30% pointed at only Biden’s age as being a concern, while 17% indicated age is not a concern for the candidates. Only 3% cited Trump's age.

The results were similar to a Quinnipiac poll last month that had 67% of those polled indicating Biden was too old for another term while 57% said the same for Trump.

But given a chance to digest either of the two in the White House for the next four years, many voters could not get behind either candidate.

Asked how favorable they would view another term for Biden, 49% voted not favorable while 29% indicated they were not optimistic but would be glad Trump was not in office. Another 22% rated it either favorable or they can’t complain.

But for Trump, the support was less favorable with 60% rating another Trump term as not favorable. Yet 26% rated it as either favorable or they can’t complain while only 13% were not optimistic but would be glad Biden would be out of office.

Asked for a prediction for the fall election, 39% called it a toss-up while 38% predicted Trump would return to office. Only 23% predicted Biden will be re-elected.

Four years ago Trump won handily in Louisiana with 58% of the vote and mopped up in Acadiana, carrying each parish including getting 2 out of every 3 votes in Lafayette Parish and as much as 80% in Acadia Parish.

Given four options of what was the most important issue heading into the election, just over half indicated preserving democracy while another 25% pointed the finger at the economy.