SmallBizResource Blog -- Marketing

SMBs Go Against The Political Grain

Posted by Judy Mottl Monday, Oct 22, 2007, 07:08 AM ET

While the majority of the country seems to be behind the Democratic Party as the political campaigns gain steam, it seems that small business is pretty content with the Republican Party and believes it's the party for small business.

According to a new survey from SurePayroll, which polled 450 small business owners, most small biz owners are pulling for the Republicans and believe economy, war and defense are most important issues in upcoming primaries

Of the 84 percent of small business owners who said they plan to participate in their state's primary or caucus, 59 percent of them favor Republicans, whereas various national polls report that up to 50 percent of Americans in general favor the Democrats and 35 percent favor Republicans*.

SurePayroll President Michael Alter says this data comes as a surprise, as many assumed small business owners' opinions mirrored those of Americans in general.

"During a time when Americans seem to be screaming for a change in political philosophy, small business owners are saying the Republican Party still holds the key to success," says Alter in a release. "This is bad news for Democrats. If they want to win, they need to do a better job reaching this community. Small businesses represent 98 percent of companies and employ roughly half of our national workforce - their votes and influence matter."

When provided with a choice of 12 issues and asked to identify what they felt was the most important one to consider when electing a president, the largest group of small business respondents cited the economy as their prime concern, which includes issues related to taxes, national debt and the budget deficit. The war in Iraq and national defense/homeland security followed.

Similarly, according to a September Rasmussen Reports tracking poll, the economy was the number one factor for 72 percent of general American voters, with national security/War on Terror closely following at 71 percent.

The largest amount of small business owner respondents would like to see Rudy Giuliani win (18 percent), followed closely by Fred Thompson and Hillary Clinton, who each received 16 percent.

The survey results also suggest that most small business owners consider themselves well-informed about political issues. 49 percent of respondents said they were somewhat familiar with the candidates seeking nomination for the 2008 presidential election, while almost as many, 47 percent, considered themselves very familiar. Only 4 percent responded that they were not at all familiar.

• 78 percent of respondents believe Clinton will be selected as the Democratic candidate. 54 percent believe Giuliani will be selected as the Republican candidate.
• The second most popular Democratic candidate was Barack Obama and the third most popular Democratic candidate was John Edwards, while Mitt Romney followed Giuliani and Thompson for the Republican vote.
• 70 percent of respondents said they intend to vote for a candidate of the same party they voted for in 2004.
• Although the majority of respondents felt Republicans were better for small business, the largest group (33 percent) said they did not know which candidate in specific would be most beneficial.

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