Former President Donald Trump‘s conviction in New York last month has been viewed as a possible boost for his campaign, but it may put him on shaky ground with one key group, according to a new poll.
The former president was found guilty on 34 charges related to a hush money payment made before the 2016 election. A Politico-Ipsos poll released on Monday showed that among some independents, the guilty verdict is leaving them less likely to support Trump in November.
When asked in the survey if they were more or less likely to support Trump after the verdict, 32% of independents said they were less likely to support him, while 40% said the verdict had no impact, and 12% said it made them more likely to support the former president.
Among the independents polled, 21% said the conviction is important to how they will vote and that it makes them less likely to support Trump in the election, but there is skepticism among the voting bloc over the fairness of the trial. Only 46% of independents said the verdict was the result of a fair and impartial process, compared to 27% who said it was not and 24% who were unsure.
The trial and its result have not shown any sizable shift in the state of the presidential race, with Trump still leading President Joe Biden in most recent polls nationally and in key swing states. The Biden campaign is seeking to take advantage of the conviction by branding Trump as a criminal, while the Trump campaign has sought to undermine the credibility of the Manhattan trial.
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The New York hush money case was one of four criminal cases levied against Trump, with the other three, in Florida, Washington, D.C., and Georgia, still a ways from reaching trial.
Trump is scheduled to be sentenced in the New York case on July 11, only days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. The former president could be sentenced to jail time, which some Republicans believe would guarantee a November victory for Trump.
