Trump Overtakes Gary Johnson Among US Troops

by Saagar Enjeti

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has overtaken Libertarian nominee Gov. Gary Johnson among active duty U.S. military voters, according to a Military Times poll.

A Sept. 21 poll of military voters previously found Johnson and Trump were effectively tied, each holding approximately 37 percent of support. Despite a slew of scandals in the last month, Trump overtook Johnson, holding 40 percent of all military voters.

Among enlisted military personnel, Trump commands a hefty lead of 43.3 percent support, but only holds 26 percent of the officer corps. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton conversely ties with Johnson for 31 percent of the vote among officers.

“No one seems to care that Hillary Clinton is directly responsible for leaking classified information,” one enlisted Marine corporal told Military Times. He continued, “It’s an embarrassment that she is on the verge of becoming president.”

Among the services, Trump held the highest lead among the U.S. Marines, while Clinton had her highest support among the U.S. Navy. The Military Times poll comes before the third presidential debate between Trump and Clinton, which ostensibly will be more focused on national security issues. Only 1 in 20 troops indicated they the debates change their voting preferences come November.

Troops held little faith in either Clinton or Trump’s ability to be an effective commander in chief. Only 4 percent surveyed thought Clinton would lead the military effectively, compared with 9 percent among Trump. Sixty percent agreed they had little confidence in either major party nominee.

“We are currently in a race to the bottom, and it is a sad thing to witness that this is the best leadership options that the nation can bring to the table,” a U.S. Navy lieutenant said.

The military times poll has a 2 percent margin of error.

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