Poll: Pro-Harris Federal Managers Preparing to Oppose Trump Policies

A recent survey of federal government managers highlights the existence of a "deep state" and its alignment with Democratic interests, as suggested by the incoming administration, despite opposition from the majority of Americans.
According to a study conducted by Scott Rasmussen’s Napolitan Institute and RMG Research, a significant number of federal managers across various levels are gearing up to resist President-elect Donald Trump’s policies, even though he won the election with a clear mandate, as reported by Just the News.
The findings revealed that while elite voters leaned more toward Harris than federal managers, they were still somewhat more inclined to support Trump compared to the federal workforce.
The survey divided voters into three categories: federal government managers, the Elite 1%, and Main Street Americans.
Federal government managers were defined as employees in the Washington, D.C., area earning at least $75,000 annually. The Elite 1% consisted of individuals residing in densely populated areas, holding advanced degrees, earning over $150,000 per year, and representing about 1% of the U.S. population. Meanwhile, Main Street Americans were those who did not fit the Elite 1% criteria, as outlined in the survey.
The poll showed that 45% of federal government managers voted for Trump, while 52% chose Harris. Only 44% of federal managers supported Trump’s administration, while 42% expressed intentions to resist. Among Harris voters within this group, 80% indicated plans to oppose the administration, with only 1% showing any willingness to support it.
For the Elite 1%, 34% voted for Trump, compared to 64% who supported Harris. Within this group, 48% expressed willingness to back Trump’s presidency, while 39% intended to resist.
By comparison, nationwide data showed that 50% of all voters supported Trump. Of the total voters surveyed, 56% planned to support his administration, while 29% signaled opposition.
“We talk about politics and government by consent of the governed, but the narrative is dominated by the elites,” Rasmussen remarked during a Napolitan Institute webinar. “So the more that President Trump can begin to either neutralize or win over some of these elites, there’s a real chance to change the narrative.”
Rasmussen further observed that elite support for Trump seemed “tepid” and reflected a “let’s see how things go” attitude.
Among Republican federal managers, 89% backed Trump, while 73% of their Democratic counterparts said they intended to resist.
“Given that there are similar numbers of Republicans and Democrats in the ranks of Federal Government Managers, this partisan divide may well foreshadow a turbulent time of conflict within the government itself,” the report noted.
Notably, only 17% of Democratic federal managers who supported Harris said they would follow directives from Trump, whereas 64% indicated they would act based on their own judgment, according to Just the News.
Rasmussen argued that directly addressing resistance from federal managers would be "a losing effort" and suggested the battle should focus on rallying Republican officials to counter Democratic initiatives.
“But the biggest way to address those problems with the federal government managers who are going to be resisting is to succeed,” he added.
“If the economy is getting better, and if the border is getting secure, voters will rally around the Trump administration in a significant way,” Rasmussen emphasized. “If that happens and there’s a lot of outreach to this elite world, ways to begin to shift the narrative, that will have an impact on the federal government managers.”
In further highlighting the disconnect between federal managers and the general public, the poll revealed:
The top issue for 40% of Main Street Americans was the economy, compared to 18% of federal managers and 26% of the Elite 1%.
Federal managers prioritized issues like guns and crime (10%), climate change (6%), education (5%), equality (5%), and cybersecurity (5%), none of which were ranked highly by other voter groups.