Support for the Obama-backed Trans-Pacific Partnership increased after Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton switched her position on the international trade deal during the Democratic Primary, according to a national poll published Thursday.
Although the number of voters who don’t know enough about the trade deal to form an opinion remain high, at 43 percent in the poll, that number decreased from a similar poll collected in March, according to Morning Consort. Forty-five percent of voters didn’t know about the deal, or hadn’t heard about it, during the primary season.
Voters across the board were more favorable towards TPP than they were in March. Those who “strongly oppose” the deal decreased from 12 percent to 9 percent, those who “somewhat oppose” the deal decreased from 17 percent to 13 percent.
Support for the deal increased. Twenty percent of voters asserted in March they “somewhat supported” the trade deal, with that number increasing in August to 25 percent. “Strongly support” also increased from a dismal 6 percent to 10 percent.
Democrats were more likely to favor the deal, with 43 percent of Democrats supporting the deal to some degree. Republicans matched Independents at 30 percent support.
There is also an increased consensus about the effects the deal will have on the nation’s economy. Thirty percent of voters think the deal with create additional jobs in the U.S., compared to just 19 percent who believe the deal with lead to a net loss in jobs.
After Senator Bernie Sanders voiced his disapproval of the deal, Clinton switched her allegiance. Although the trade agreement was crafted under her reign as Secretary of State, she quickly abandoned support for the deal.
“I worry that if we don’t do TPP, at some point China’s going to break the rules — but Hillary understands this,” former Governor of Virginia Terry Mcauliffe told Politico. Mcauliffe added he believed the Democratic nominee would change her position should she win the presidency in November.
“She is against it before the election and after the election,” Clinton spokesman John Podesta told The Hill. “She is not interested in re-negotiating the TPP.”
Current Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker told MSNBC that Clinton’s reversal was surprising.
“I don’t understand that conclusion. Because frankly, having looked at this agreement, studied this agreement, it is the Gold Standard. It is the toughest trade agreement out there in the world.”
Pritzker added, “TPP creates an absolute level playing field for American companies… It has evolved. But it has evolved to be better not worse.”
The Morning Consult poll sampled 1,998 registered voters nationwide, for a margin of error of 2 percentage points. The survey began August 8th, and concluded August 10th.
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