A group of Georgia swing voters told moderators they believe the U.S. campaign in Iran is going poorly. When asked how the conflict makes them feel, the 13 participants used words such as afraid, angry, concerned, sad and despair. Many said they worry the war is being mismanaged and will keep adding economic pressure at home.
The voters participated in two online focus groups Tuesday night organized by messaging and market-research firms Engagious and Sago as part of the Swing Voter Project; NPR observed the sessions. All 13 live in Georgia and supported Joe Biden in 2020 before voting for Donald Trump in 2024. Seven identified as independents, five as Republicans and one as a Democrat.
Not one participant described the military action in Iran as going well so far, despite public claims by the president that the U.S. has ‘decimated Iran’ and that the conflict is ‘very close to over.’ Rich Thau, president of Engagious and the groups’ moderator, said the participants were anxious and often upset about U.S. involvement.
Focus groups are not statistically representative, but they can reveal how particular voters are thinking. In this case, they mirror broader polling that shows U.S. military action in Iran is widely unpopular.
Several participants faulted the administration for misreading the situation. Nick H., a 28-year-old independent, said he thinks Trump miscalculated how the conflict would unfold, adding that Iran has struck U.S. bases and seized the Strait of Hormuz and could deploy drones the way they have been used in Ukraine. Bryan M., a 24-year-old independent, said he worries the U.S. is losing costly, advanced equipment and that those losses reflect poorly on military strategy.
Most of the group disapproved of Trump’s performance in his second term to date. A common complaint was a gap between what these voters care about and what they see as the president’s priorities. Corey W., a 55-year-old independent, said it appears the administration is focused on expanding U.S. presence abroad. Howard R., 31, accused the president of concentrating on personal advantage, citing issues like ‘crypto scams.’ Xaveria T., a 44-year-old Republican, criticized the president for prioritizing personal gain over Americans’ economic needs and worried about people being able to provide for their families.
A few participants praised aspects of the administration’s agenda, such as stricter immigration enforcement, but the moderator said there was a clear misalignment between the president’s focus and the issues these voters named as most important.
Economy topped the list of concerns. Twelve of the 13 said they are more anxious about the economy now than before Trump returned to office, pointing to rising prices across the board. Dawn H., a 46-year-old Republican, said ‘everything is higher now’ and listed food, fuel, housing and health care as areas where costs have climbed. Joe J., a 56-year-old independent, said the economic reality has not matched campaign promises — he cited cuts to health insurance subsidies and criticized spending choices he sees as tone-deaf to ordinary people’s needs. Bryan M. warned the economy could deteriorate further if oil and food prices continue to rise as the conflict persists.
Other takeaways from the sessions included:
– Views on Israel were mixed: participants generally supported Israel as a country, but only one spoke positively of the Israeli government; four viewed it negatively and the rest were neutral.
– Turnout intent was high: nine of the 13 said they were very likely to vote in the November midterms, though most remained undecided about which party they would back. Only two said they planned to vote for Democrats specifically to send a message to Trump, and none said they intended to vote Republican specifically to support the president.
– Local infrastructure worries surfaced: a majority expressed concern about new data centers being built in their communities, mainly over the water and energy those facilities require.
Overall, these Georgia swing voters expressed anxiety about the Iran conflict, frustration with the administration’s priorities, and acute concern about how the war and rising costs are affecting their daily lives.