Are presidential campaigns too long? Nearly half of Americans think so, poll finds

Like Martin Scorsese movies and ultra-marathons, presidential campaigns in the U.S. can seem to go on forever.

From start to finish, they often last over a year, and sometimes even more.

Are they too long? Nearly half of Americans believe so, according to new polling.

In an Aug. 15 YouGov poll, a plurality of respondents, 46%, said that, generally speaking, presidential campaigns are too drawn out.

Thirty-six percent said they’re about the right length, while just 3% said they are too short.

An additional 15% said they weren’t sure, according to the poll, which sampled 2,805 U.S. adults.

When broken down by partisan affiliation, about the same share of Democrats (48%) and independents (47%) said they are generally too long. Slightly fewer Republicans, 43%, said the same.

However, just 28% of independents said the campaigns are about the right length — a far smaller share than Democrats (40%) and Republicans (43%).

Stark divisions also appeared along generational lines.

One-third of 18- to 29-year-olds said they’re too long, and 39% of 30- to 40-year-olds said the same.

Meanwhile, far larger shares of older adults said they were dissatisfied with the current length of campaigns.

Fifty-two percent of 45- to 64-year-olds said presidential campaigns are too long, while 59% of those 65 and older said the same.

Respondents were also divided along racial lines.

A majority of white adults, 53%, said the race for the White House is too long, while only 33% of Black adults and 30% of Hispanic adults said the same.

The poll also asked respondents whether they would be in favor of a law limiting the length of presidential campaigns.

Fifty-five percent said they would agree with such a measure, while 19% said they would not, and 25% said they were not sure.

Twenty-two percent said they would support a maximum length of around 6 months, while 16% said they would support a limit of around 1 year.

Additionally, the poll asked respondents about Vice President Kamala Harris’ short campaign — which was launched after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race in July. With Election Day less than three months away, her campaign will, historically speaking, be truncated.

Thirty percent of respondents said having a comparatively short campaign would help Harris, while 11% said it would hurt her.

Twenty-nine percent said the short campaign would have no effect on the vice president, and the same share said they were not sure.

This story was originally published August 15, 2024 at 3:40 PM with the headline "Are presidential campaigns too long? Nearly half of Americans think so, poll finds."