The Deciders January 2024: Trump-Voting Women Who Oppose Dobbs

In this Article

• Voter Preferences of January’s Focus Group
• The Change in Abortion Access and Views
• How Views on Abortion Will Affect Their Vote
• Perception of Trump and Biden’s Views on Abortion
• Trump’s Role in Overturning Roe v. Wade
• Trump and National Abortion Limits
• Trump’s Campaign and the Perception of Election Rigging

In the lead-up to the 2024 U.S. presidential election, The Deciders – NBC News’ hyperlocal reporting initiative – will provide comprehensive coverage by a dedicated team of nearly 30 journalists, focusing on a variety of key demographic groups in seven vital counties nationwide. Led by a partnership between Engagious, Sago, and Syracuse University’s Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship, this project will conduct monthly online focus groups with specific categories of voters.

To begin the initiative, January’s focus groups featured 15 women from Pennsylvania who had previously voted for Donald Trump in 2020. These women expressed dissatisfaction with the 2022 Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, which upheld state restrictions on abortion. During their discussion, the Pennsylvania women shared their perspectives on abortion, their preferences for the upcoming election, and perceptions of election rigging for 2024.

Voter Preferences of January’s Focus Group

When asked about their voting preferences if the election was held on the day of the interview, most of the women indicated support for Donald Trump, with 12 votes. Robert Kennedy Jr. garnered two votes, while Joe Biden received one. Two of the respondents—one who’d prefer Trump and one who’d prefer RFK Jr.— said they were seriously considering not voting at all in November.

The Change in Abortion Access and Views

During the focus group, the Pennsylvania women expressed their dissatisfaction with the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, which upheld state restrictions on abortion. They shared their perspective on the issue, emphasizing the setback in treating women as equals and the importance of a woman’s right to make her own choices.

• “I was unhappy with the decision because I think we took a big step backward in treating women as not equal…Just a giant step backward.”
• “The woman has her own choice. It’s her body, not the government’s body.”
• “I would never have an abortion, but I think people should have a right to make their own choice.”
• “We’re going back in time.”

How Views on Abortion Will Affect Their Vote

While the focus group participants acknowledged the significance of abortion access, they revealed that it was not their top priority compared to issues such as the economy and immigration. They emphasized their intent to vote for the candidate they believe will best serve their families, despite their personal opinions on abortion.

• “It means nothing in the grand scheme of everything to me. I’m going to vote for who I think is going to do the best for my family.”
• “I’m a woman, and I should have more to say about it, but, honestly, it doesn’t matter that much to me.”
• “It is important, but not, like, top three.”
• “It’s not one of my top issues.”

Perception of Trump and Biden’s Views on Abortion

A main finding of the focus group was that several respondents were uncertain about the candidates’ positions on abortion. Only three of the 15 respondents felt certain they knew what Trump’s position on abortion is. When pressed to rate their perception of Biden’s outlooks by ideology, six characterized Biden’s views as liberal, three as moderate, and two as conservative. A significant number of participants did not possess enough knowledge to form an opinion.

Trump’s Role in Overturning Roe v. Wade

During the focus group, the majority of the 15 participants believed Trump had no impact on the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision. This notion changed when they were informed of Trump’s public claims to have played a role in the end of Roe v. Wade protections, having been quoted as saying he was “proud” to have “terminated” Roe v. Wade. Their reactions ranged from disagreement to discomfort, with some participants expressing their disappointment with this aspect of Trump’s beliefs.

• “I don’t like that comment. I think it’s terrible. I like Trump, but then I do disagree with that part of his beliefs.”
• “Well, I’m not happy that he said that.”
• “It’s just gross to think that somebody can even be that disrespectful.”

Trump and National Abortion Limits

The Pennsylvania women interviewed expressed opposition to six-week limits on abortion. They believed that a 15-week restriction would be a more reasonable approach. Interestingly, most of the voters didn’t express concern about the possibility of Trump enacting stricter abortion limits if he were elected to another term.

• “I don’t think it’s going to happen. I’m going to sit here and think ‘oh please don’t happen.’”
• “I think it would be political suicide.”
• “It doesn’t worry me.”

Two of the women were concerned that Trump and Congress might introduce a national six-week ban on abortion. One of them said, “I think he does feel very strict about it, so I definitely think that’s a possibility.”

Trump’s Campaign and the Perception of Election Rigging

For the most part, concerns about Trump’s promises of a “retribution” campaign seemed to be limited to one woman in the focus group. However, nine participants believed a win for Biden in November would validate their belief that the 2024 election is rigged. Some cited issues with mail-in ballots in their area and perceived concerted efforts within the government, including among Trump’s own party, to ensure Biden’s victory.

• “I guess because mail-in ballots have been a fiasco in our area.”
• “I feel like inside government, everybody, even [Trump’s] own party, is doing everything they can just to make Biden win again. Sadly. But I think that’s how it’s going to happen.”

Stay tuned for future updates from The Deciders as they engage with different voter groups across the country.