Takeaways from the Beacon Poll

41%
In the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, Gloria Johnson leads Marquita Bradshaw by 30 points (41%–11%) among likely Democratic voters. 45% of Democratic voters are still unsure.
Elections
63%
Among likely voters, Donald Trump has a 32-point lead (63%–31%) against Joe Biden in a head-to-head contest. When Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is added as a 3rd party Independent candidate, Trump’s lead drops to 26 points (51%–25%) while Kennedy garners a substantial 16% of the vote.
Elections
66%
Tennesseans are much more likely to trust local news organizations. 66% have either a lot or some trust in local outlets, while only 51% have a lot or some trust in national news sources.
Politics
74%
74% of Tennesseans believe that the state government should have some involvement in local property tax increases. 67% support a cap on property tax increases if they had to be approved by voters in a referendum.
Taxes
68%
68% of voters support Governor Lee’s proposal to expand access to educational choice statewide, with only 19% in opposition.
Education
46%
If neither Trump nor Biden were to run for president in 2024, a plurality of Republican voters would support Ron DeSantis (46%), and a plurality of Democratic voters would support Kamala Harris (27%).
Elections

Political Polling Results

41% of likely Democratic primary voters in Tennessee plan to vote for Gloria Johnson in the U.S. Senate primary.

ELECTIONS

If President Biden does not run in 2024, 27% of likely Democratic voters plan to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.

ELECTIONS

63% of likely Republican voters would vote for Donald Trump even if he is convicted of a crime.

ELECTIONS

Between July 2023 and January 2024, Tennesseans’ approval of the legislature has gone down by four percent.

POLITICS

Policy Polling Results: Education

68% of Tennesseans support a statewide education savings account program.

EDUCATION

Of likely voters, 52% would be more likely to vote for their state legislator if they support statewide education savings accounts.

EDUCATION

Tennesseans’ support for Donald Trump in the GOP presidential primary has grown, while the support for Ron DeSantis has declined.

ELECTIONS

Policy Polling Results: Housing Costs

74% of Tennesseans support the state government having some level of involvement in local property tax increases.

TAXES

67% of Tennesseans support a cap on property tax increases in Tennessee if such increases had to be approved by voters in a referendum.

TAXES

77% of Tennesseans agree that homeowners should be able to build an accessory dwelling unit on their own property.

HOUSING

Donald Trump and Joe Biden have both gained support among likely Tennessee voters since the October Beacon Poll, while Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has lost three percent of his support.

ELECTIONS

Other Polling Results

When asked which news sources—national or local—they trust more, Tennesseans overwhelmingly prefer their local news outlets.

POLITICS

We gave Tennesseans 11 options of common New Years’ resolutions, and asked them to select all that apply.

In 2024, the top five results suggest Tennesseans will put a heavy emphasis on their physical and mental health.

CULTURE

Methodology

  • Online poll of 1,302 registered voters in Tennessee
  • Only respondents who passed our data quality checks were included in the final results and compensated for participating.
  • Sampling was stratified by demographics and geography.
  • Results were weighted by demographics, party, geography, and behavioral measures to properly reflect the profile of the state.
  • Estimated margin of error: +/- 2.66%
  • Fieldwork: Dec. 14 to Dec. 28, 2023
  • Due to weighting and rounding, percentages may not always total exactly 100%.

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