Beacon Poll notes voters' concerns about public education along with support for former President Trump and Sen. Blackburn

A new statewide survey from the Beacon Center of Tennessee found 50 percent of those polled in Tennessee are dissatisfied with the way things are going in K-12 public education. Just 40 percent were satisfied with K-12 public education and another 10 percent told pollsters they weren't sure.

The Beacon Poll asked 1,200 registered Tennessee voters questions about a variety of topics relating to education, political races, and policy issues. According to the poll, 65 percent of Tennessee voters believe improving and maintaining K-12 public school facilities should be the top or a high priority in their area. That support dropped when pollsters asked voters how big of a priority they placed investments in new K-12 public school facilities. Just 37 percent of Republicans, 39 percent of Democrats, and 30 percent of independents said new K-12 public school facilities should be a top or high priority.

Among other notable findings outside of education, the poll found that former President Donald Trump’s recent conviction of 34 felony charges for falsifying documents in New York has actually led to more support for his campaign. It said that the guilty verdict in New York made 34 percent of Tennesseans more likely to vote for Trump in November while only 22 percent are less likely to vote for him.  A plurality (40 percent) said the outcome of the trial has no impact on their vote. The report also noted that Trump has reached a 30-point lead over Joe Biden in a three-way race that includes Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., representing a 10-point improvement since Beacon’s April poll.

As the Senate primary approaches, the report added that Sen. Marsha Blackburn has jumped out to a 20+ point lead on both of her potential Democratic challengers in the general election. Blackburn now leads state Rep. Gloria Johnson by 20 points (52 percent-32 percent) and Marquita Bradshaw by 21 points (54 percent-33 percent).

In addition, the poll found that inflation “is clearly the number one issue for voters across the country,” adding that the case is no different here in Tennessee. It said that an overwhelming 80 percent of Tennesseans consider inflation to be a big or very big problem for them, while only 5 percent consider it to be a small problem or not a problem at all.

The rise in the cost of food is the biggest source of frustration, with 85 percent of Tennesseans feeling the most significant impact of inflation at the grocery store, according to the report.To read the full report, visit beacontn.org.