Voters who benefitted from the expanded child tax credit in 2021 only leaned Democrat as long as the cash kept flowing, a Morning Consult/Politico survey released Wednesday found.
Every two months, voters were asked "if they were more likely to vote for the Democratic candidate or the Republican candidate if the election for Congress in their district were held today."
In December, the generic Democrat beat the generic Republican 49-37 among child tax credit (CTC) recipients. By February, that lead had dropped to 44-43 — within the margin of error. By April, the generic Republican had pulled ahead, beating the generic Democrat 46-43.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Among all voters, the parties remain tied at 43 percent, though a separate Morning Consult/Politico poll from last month showed that Republicans have a significant advantage in voter enthusiasm.
The American Rescue Plan, which President Biden signed on March 11, 2021, increased the child tax credit from $2,000 per child to $3,000 per child over the age of six and $3,600 per child under the age of six. It also distributed the tax credit in the form of direct monthly payments to parents. One study found that the expanded CTC kept over three million children per month above the poverty line.
Extending the CTC expansion was a key part of Biden's Build Back Better plan. After the bill failed to pass, the expansion expired at the end of 2021.
The surveys of CTC beneficiaries were conducted on Dec. 18-20, 2021; Feb. 5-6, 2022; and April 1-4, 2022. Each surveyed around 2,000 respondents and has an error margin of 2.5 percent.
-
What’s the best way to use your year-end bonus?the explainer Pay down debt, add it to an emergency fund or put it toward retirement
-
What are portable mortgages and how do they work?the explainer Homeowners can transfer their old rates to a new property in the UK and Canada. The Trump administration is considering making it possible in the US.
-
10 concert tours to see this winterThe Week Recommends Keep cozy this winter with a series of concerts from big-name artists
-
Judge halts Trump’s DC Guard deploymentSpeed Read The Trump administration has ‘infringed upon the District’s right to govern itself,’ the judge ruled
-
Trump accuses Democrats of sedition meriting ‘death’Speed Read The president called for Democratic lawmakers to be arrested for urging the military to refuse illegal orders
-
Court strikes down Texas GOP gerrymanderSpeed Read The Texas congressional map ordered by Trump is likely an illegal racial gerrymander, the court ruled
-
Trump defends Saudi prince, shrugs off Khashoggi murderSpeed Read The president rebuked an ABC News reporter for asking Mohammed bin Salman about the death of a Washington Post journalist at the Saudi Consulate in 2018
-
Congress passes bill to force release of Epstein filesSpeed Read The Justice Department will release all files from its Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation
-
Trump says he will sell F-35 jets to Saudi ArabiaSpeed Read The president plans to make several deals with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this week
-
Judge blasts ‘profound’ errors in Comey caseSpeed Read ‘Government misconduct’ may necessitate dismissing the charges against the former FBI director altogether
-
Ecuador rejects push to allow US military basesSpeed Read Voters rejected a repeal of a constitutional ban on US and other foreign military bases in the country
