click to enlarge

Courtesy White House

Arizona voters support the Biden administration’s American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan, according to a new survey released this week.

The American Jobs Plan, a proposal to invest $2.2 trillion in various infrastructure programs (including repairing roads and bridges, replacing lead water pipes and improving the electrical grid), had the support of six out of 10 voters, according the survey by polling firm ALG Research. That includes strong support from 44% and opposition from 35%.

Meanwhile, the $1.8 trillion American Families Plan, which would provide tax credits to cover the cost of health insurance, pay for child care for kids 3-4 years old and provide two years of free community college courses, had the support of 55% of voters, while 42% oppose the proposal.

Specific elements of the two proposals enjoyed even higher support, such as improvements to roads and bridges (86% support), expanding job training programs so high-school graduates can enter the workforce without needing a college degree (83%), replacing aging lead pipes (81%), improving high-speed internet in rural communities (80%), expanding free childcare (65%) and expanding the use of clean energy (65%).

The survey also suggested Arizonans support raising taxes on Arizona’s higher earners, with 60% supporting raising taxes on Americans earning more than $400,000 to help pay for the programs. In general, 58% of those surveyed said that corporations and wealthy Americans don’t pay enough in taxes—an interesting finding, given that this week, Gov. Doug Ducey signed a state budget dramatically reducing taxes for Arizona’s top earners and shifting the state’s tax burden to the middle class.

Those surveyed balked at proposals to pay for the package with higher gas taxes, with 72% opposing such a hike or indexing the gas tax to inflation. An even higher number, 84%, oppose a new tax on the number of miles driven, while 69% oppose higher fees on toll roads.

Half of those surveyed said they’d rather see Democrats pass the proposal with higher taxes on corporations and wealthy Americans with only Democratic support, while just 24% said they’d rather see Congress pass a bipartisan plan that included higher user fees for low-income and middle-class Americans.

While Biden and Senate leaders say they have reached a compromise on a bipartisan infrastructure proposal, Republican leaders say they won't support other Biden administration proposals that Democratic leaders say they will try to pass via the reconciliation process to prevent a GOP filibuster in the Senate.

The poll surveyed 801 likely 2022 Arizona voters via telephone and text-to-web from June 2-8. The margin of error was +/- 3.5%.