Poll: 60% Democrats Agree with MLB's Decision to Move All-Star Game from Atlanta

A majority of Democrats agree with Major League Baseball’s (MLB) political decision to pull the All-Star game and Draft from Atlanta over the state’s recent election law, but a plurality of black voters consider it a bad decision, a Rasmussen Reports survey released Friday showed.

The survey, taken April 7-8, among 1,000 likely U.S. voters, asked respondents if they believed it was a “good idea or a bad idea” for the MLB to move the All-Star game and Draft to Denver following the passage of the Peach State’s election law, which, despite popular belief, expands voting in some areas.

While a plurality of respondents across the board, 44 percent, said it was a bad idea, 40 percent said it was a good idea, and 16 percent said they remain unsure. A majority of Democrats, however, 60 percent, said the decision was a good idea compared to 62 percent of Republicans who said the opposite. Fifty-one percent of those unaffiliated with either major political party deemed the MLB’s decision “bad.”

A plurality of black voters, whom Democrats claim will be negatively impacted by Georgia’s election integrity measure, also believe the decision was “bad” (45 percent), while 40 percent said it was good — a gap outside of the survey’s +/-3 percent margin of error.

The survey also asked, “In general, is it a good idea or a bad idea for athletes and sports teams to get involved in political controversies?”

Fifty-seven percent across the board said it is a “bad” idea, a sentiment held by both Republicans (77 percent) and those unaffiliated with either major political party (62 percent). Fifty-six percent of Democrats believe it is a good idea for athletes and sports teams to insert themselves in political controversies.

Other surveys show a majority of voters, including black and Latino voters, supporting basic election integrity measures, including requiring a form of identification.

MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred claimed they made the decision to pull the All-Star game and Draft from Atlanta “after discussions with the MLB Players Association and its Players Alliance.”

As GOP proponents have pointed out, Georgia’s election integrity law actually expands early voting by way of increasing the mandatory days of early weekend voting, reforms voter ID requirements, and addresses concerns related to ballot drop boxes.