Republicans’ views on US troops on the ground in Iran revealed in new poll

Republicans are split on putting U.S. troops on the ground in Iran according to a poll released Thursday.

Why It Matters

Americans largely backed diplomatic actions in Iran before the strikes, with polls indicating few supported initiating attacks. Polls have consistently shown that a majority of Americans do not back putting ground troops in Iran.

Republicans have largely supported Trump’s military action in Iran, but there have been divisions among some Make America Great Again base who emphasize an “America First” platform. The war comes as many Republican lawmakers are gearing up for midterm elections and hoping to maintain majorities in the House and Senate.

The U.S. and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran on February 28, notably killing the country’s longtime Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Since then, Israel and U.S. forces have carried out sustained bombardments across the country, including strikes on military facilities, as well as energy and civilian infrastructure.

What To Know

The White House is considering deploying thousands of U.S. troops amid the ongoing war in Iran, Reuters reported on Wednesday, adding that sources do not believe ground forces in Iran would be imminent.

“There has been no decision to send ground troops at this time, but President Trump wisely keeps all options at his disposal,” a White House official told the outlet on condition of anonymity.

Any move to insert U.S. ground forces—whether to secure maritime traffic at the world’s most critical oil chokepoint or control Iranian energy or nuclear-related sites—would escalate the scope and risks of a war already disrupting global energy supplies and raising domestic political stakes for Trump.

A Data for Progress poll of 1,259 U.S. likely voters conducted between March 13 and 15 found that while a majority of voters, 68 percent, oppose the U.S. deploying soldiers in Iran, Republicans are evenly split on the matter, at 48 percent.

Twenty-one percent of Republicans said they “strongly support” deploying U.S. troops on the ground, while 27 percent said they “somewhat support.” Similarly, 28 percent said they “somewhat oppose” deployment and 20 percent said they “strongly oppose.” Four percent of Republicans say they don’t know.

Across all political backgrounds, 68 percent of participants oppose sending U.S. troops on the ground, n
while 26 percent support it. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Among Democrats, 85 percent oppose troop deployment, while 10 percent support it.

Prior polling from Quinnipiac University found that most voters oppose military action involving U.S. ground troops in Iran, with 74 percent of voters opposed and 20 percent in support. The poll surveyed 1,002 people.

Among party lines, 52 percent of Republicans are opposed to sending U.S. troops to Iran, while 37 percent back such a move. Nearly all Democrats oppose the measure, 95 percent, with 3 percent supporting it. Three-quarters of independents would oppose the move, 75 percent, compared to 19 percent who support it.

The poll was conducted between March 6 and March 8 and has a margin of error of ±3.8 percentage points.

What People Are Saying

Tim Malloy, Quinnipiac University polling analyst, said in the Quinnipiac poll: “Voters are unenthusiastic about the air attack on Iran and there is overwhelming opposition to putting American troops on Iranian soil to fight a ground war.”

Senator Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, said on March 2: “We have to have the humility to acknowledge the fact that U.S. servicemembers have already lost their lives and been injured, that we could face serious consequences in the loss and death of our troops, serious consequences in instability in the region, serious consequences in rising energy prices for Americans.”

Senator Shelley Moore Capito, a West Virginia Republican, said in a March 12 statement: “I think that the American people don’t want to see boots on the ground. I think that we can achieve objectives without that, and I would hope that’s the end product.”