Message testing finds that messages from Democratic candidates on how they will not vote for the GOP’s upcoming funding bill unless it addresses these same priorities — particularly health care — can increase their performance at the ballot box.
In late August, Grow Progress and Data for Progress conducted a message test that looked broadly at persuasion among all registered voters, persuadable voters who say they tend to vote equally for both major parties, and those who say they normally vote for the Democratic Party or the Republican Party.
All messages used language about Democrats taking a hard stance, such as:
“Democrats say they will not vote for the Republicans’ government funding package unless…”
“Democrats are taking a stand against this funding package…”
Every single message tested has a directional or significant persuasive net effect on vote choice — making clear that the message framing of Democrats fighting harder is very effective.
In particular, a broad message about Democrats standing up for health care funding in the budget package increases net Democratic vote choice by +9 points among all registered voters and +28 points among persuadable voters, or those who say they vote about equally for both parties. Likewise, two education-focused messages also increase net Democratic vote choice by significant margins.