INDEPENDENT FLORIDA & OHIO POLLS SHOWS VOTERS WANT DECISIVE FOREIGN POLICY IN MIDDLE EAST

Support for Israel and tough action against Iran and radical Islamic terrorists

In the first polling in key battleground states that measure public sentiment on U.S. national security issues in the wake of terrorist attacks in Libya, Egypt and anti-American protests across the Middle East and elsewhere, results in Florida and Ohio reveal that clear – and in Florida, overwhelming – majorities support a strong foreign policy in the Middle East, and a robust national defense. Further, they remain uneasy about the current state of national security and the direction of the country’s foreign policy strategy.

“The respondents say that the sanctions against Iran are not working,” says Patrick Caddell, a long-time Democratic pollster and political commentator. “Sizable majorities in both states believe that Iran will share nuclear weapons with terrorists. Support for Israel remains strong. The Muslim Brotherhood is known and disliked.”

The poll was commissioned for Secure America Now (www.secureamericanow.org), a nonpartisan organization, and was conducted by nationally respected polling firms Caddell Associates and McLaughlin and Associates. It surveyed 600 voters on national defense, attitudes about the current situation in the Middle East, and satisfaction with the Obama administration’s handling of foreign policy.

“When you drill down on the numbers, you see that women between the age of 30 and 55 are keenly aware of the national security threats and are factoring them into their voting decisions,” says Jeri Thompson, a member of Secure America Now’s advisory board. “The so-called ‘Security Moms’ have not gone away since 9/11 and must be accounted for in the current foreign-policy debate and in this election.”  To see the full poll, please visit www.secureamericanow.org.