New poll shows Donald Trump still leads with military voters despite scandals

Support for Gary Johnson, previously in a statistical tie with Trump, dropped dramatically in follow-up Military Times/Institute for Veterans and Military Families Poll

WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 19, 2016 – Donald Trump maintains his lead among military voters despite recent sexual scandals, in the latest Military Times/Institute for Veterans and Military Families Poll released today by the Military Times Media Group (Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times and Marine Corps Times).

The election poll, produced in collaboration with Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), is a follow up to the study conducted in September, and is the only scientific analysis of military voting preferences leading up to the 2016 election.

Majority of respondents (40.5%) say they still plan on voting for Donald Trump in November, while support for Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, has slipped dramatically to 27% from 37% in September. The decline in Johnson’s poll numbers came after a series of recent foreign policy mishaps on the campaign trail.

In the wake of Trump’s sexual assault scandals, 36% of female service members say they back Hillary Clinton, up by 13% from September. Overall, 20.6% of respondents say they will vote for Clinton.

The Military Times/IVMF Poll conducted October 12-14, included responses from almost 2,500 active-duty, reservists and National Guard personnel. It is weighted to reflect the military population as a whole, with a margin of error of +/- 2%.
The second Military Times-IVMF Poll follows the first two presidential debates which brought the two major party candidates together on stage.