Most Tennesseans Support Trump’s National Guard Deployment To Memphis

The majority of Tennesseans approve of President Donald Trump’s decision to send the National Guard to crime-ridden Memphis, a poll found. 

The Beacon Center of Tennessee released a new poll on Wednesday that found 63% of Tennessee voters approved of Trump’s announcement to deploy the National Guard to Memphis. Thirty-three percent of those surveyed said that they disapproved of Trump’s deployment decision. The majority of Republicans supported the deployment, while most Democrats opposed it. 

The Beacon Center is a non-partisan organization that provides research on free market solutions to public policy questions. 

In recent weeks, the Trump administration has sent federal law enforcement personnel to Memphis, where they have made over 1,700 arrests, including over 126 gang members. They have made arrests for individuals wanted on charges related to murder, drugs, gun charges, and sex offenses.

A judge on Monday heard arguments challenging Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s authority to send the National Guard into Memphis, which has historically had one of the worst murder rates in the country. The troops have been patrolling neighborhoods in a manner similar to their deployment in crime-plagued Washington, D.C. 

The Beacon Center of Tennessee Poll also found that a majority of Tennessee Democrats have a favorable view of socialism. The polling was conducted before Democrat socialist Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City. 

Surveying 336 Democrat voters, 54% have a positive view, while another 31% had a negative view. Altogether, 56% of Tennessee voters had a negative view of socialism, while 32% had a favorable view. 

Beacon Center poll.

“The favorability of socialism among Democrats is notable, and it will likely influence how Democratic candidates run to the Left in contested primaries, but also could spell doom for the party in general elections if the public’s view on socialism stays the same,” said Mark Cunningham, the Beacon’s senior fellow for public opinion.

Other key findings from the poll included Senator Marsha Blackburn having a strong lead in the race to be the Republican gubernatorial nominee ahead of Rep. John Rose (R-TN) and state Rep. Monty Fritts. In a hypothetical matchup voted on by 545 Republican voters, Blackburn garnered 58% of the vote, Rose 9%, and Fritts 5%. 

The poll also found that most voters support Tennessee’s deal with tech entrepreneur Elon Musk to build a tunnel from the airport to downtown Nashville. 

In all, the poll sampled some 1,200 registered voters from October 26 to 29.