Raising The Minimum Wage Is A Potent Electoral Issue-- For Those Who Use It

PPP polled minimum wage as an issue in half a dozen battleground states with heavily-contested state-wide races, Iowa, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Illinois, Kentucky and Louisiana. Support for increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 was strong across the board, ranging from 61% in Illinois to 53% in Wisconsin. Opposition was strongest in Wisconsin, but still weak at just 39%. One key finding should serve as a warning to conservative anti-minimum wage fanatics, like former Illinois gubernatorial front runner Bruce Rauner.

The opposition of Republican candidates to increasing the minimum wage makes voters less likely to support them— and that could make the difference in what are shaping up to be very tight races. Voters in these six states say they’re less likely to vote for the Republican candidate based on their stance on the minimum wage by anywhere from 6 all the way up to 30 points. These contests are all within 5 points right now in the HuffPo Pollster average of polls, indicating that having a position so unpopular with voters could really hurt the GOP candidates in these races:

PPP emphasizes other findings in the six states, including that GOP opposition to increasing the minimum wage “has the potential to keep on hurting Republicans beyond this year’s election. In the 4 states with key Senate races this year, voters say by an average 26 point margin that they will blame the Republicans over the Democrats if no minimum wage legislation is passed this year.” That number is strongest in Iowa where 53% of respondents said they would blame Republicans, while only 22% said they would blame Democrats, a gaping 31% gap. Blue America has been behind one candidate in Iowa this cycle, progressive stalwart, Pat Murphy, basically the only truly excellent challenger the DCCC is helping this year. Pat, a former Speaker of the Iowa House who has a clear record of relentless devotion to the interests of Iowa’s working families, had this to say about the minimum wage issue in his state:

"I have talked to many working families in Northeast Iowa about strengthening our middle class. Their concerns are the same ones I share, providing financial support to the family, putting kids through school and retiring with dignity. Folks working full time shouldn’t live in poverty, it’s that simple. We need to raise the minimum wage to $10.10. Folks across Iowa know its the right thing to do and will help strengthen our middle class. That’s what they are telling me. For too long have we had to endure policies that help only wealthiest in this country. Now its time to help grow our economy and help the hard working families succeed by raising the minimum wage.”

Like Murphy, the two candidates Blue America is backing in Wisconsin, Rob Zerban and Kelly Westlund, have been actively campaigning in their districts on the opposite ends of the state, to increase the minimum wage. Kelly: “For months, Mr. Duffy has refused to support an increase in the minimum wage of $7.25, even though he ‘struggles’ to make ends meet on his congressional salary of $174,000 a year. Recently, he said he could support an increase, but only if it was part of a package deal that included deregulation and tax breaks for employers. I find it appalling that we have a Congressman who isn't willing to help working class people unless it comes with special favors for big business and campaign contributors. We deserve better.”

Rob Zerban has been on the front lines, battling it out with GOP scrooge Paul Ryan for almost 4 years now— and chipping away at Ryan’s support in southeast Wisconsin. This morning he told us that "The popularity of increasing the minimum wage is not surprising. The economic recovery has primarily benefited a relatively small percentage of people. Mainly the wealthy and well connected are benefitting, leaving most Americans behind. Nobody should be working 40 hours a week and live below the poverty line. Profitable corporations need to pay a living wage so that their workers don't need our tax dollars to survive with assistance programs. Housing assistance, heating assistance, food assistance programs that we provide are subsidizing corporate profits when they exploit their workers by not paying a living wage."

There is no one on this page who doesn’t actively support expanding the minimum wage to at least $10.10. Steve Israel’s DCCC has screwed up this election cycle for Democrats. But we can elect these progressives while his reactionary Blue Dogs and Wall Street-owned New Dems sink into oblivion. Can I ask you to step up… again?