70 Percent of Americans Would Be More Bothered by Political Bullying than Politician Drug Use or Infidelity

Reason-Rupe
finds most Americans would be more concerned by political
bullying than typical scandals that bring down politicians. Seventy
percent of Americans would be “more bothered” by politicians using
their political power to bully someone, while only 14 percent would
be more bothered if their elected official used drugs and 11
percent would be more concerned if the politician cheated on his or
her spouse.

Politicians who have been caught
cheating, such as former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer or former
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, often choose to step down from
their elected posts.  Similarly former Rep. Trey Radel
(R-FL) resigned after
he was arrested for cocaine possession.

Reason-Rupe poll results suggest that while the public may
not approve of politician drug use or infidelity, they would be far
more upset if it were proven an elected official used their
political power to bully their opponents. For instance, this means
that if the public were to believe allegations that New Jersey Gov.
Chris Christie was behind lane closures on the George Washington
bridge (“Bridgegate”)
for political retribution, this could create very serious problems
for a Christie presidential bid. However, a recent
Quinnipiac poll finds only 26 percent of New Jersey voters
believe Christie personally ordered the traffic jam. Instead 64
percent think Christie’s aides made the call for political
retribution, and a slim majority (51 percent) believes Christie was
aware of his aides’ actions. Overall, New Jersey voters are evenly
divided over whether they consider Christie a bully (48 percent) or
a leader (48%) with independent voters breaking in favor of leader
by a margin of 54 to 43 percent. In sum, while no one likes a
bully, not even New Jersey voters who have heard the most about
Bridgegate are convinced Christie needs to step down.

Nationwide telephone poll conducted March 26-30 2014 interviewed
1003 adults on both mobile (503) and landline (500) phones, with a
margin of error +/- 3.6%. Princeton Survey Research Associates
International executed the nationwide Reason-Rupe survey. Columns
may not add up to 100% due to rounding. Full poll results,
detailed tables, and methodology found here. Sign
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Reason-Rupe poll here.