A new national poll conducted by Quinnipiac University shows that while a majority of Democrats favor a federal bailout of Detroit, a wide margin of voters say Washington should steer clear of the foundering city.
Fifty-one percent of Democrats favor Washington stepping in to provide federal assistance to the embattled city, which last month became the largest American city ever to seek bankruptcy protection, Real Clear Politics reports.
Not surprisingly, there is a strong partisan divide on the question of a federal bailout for the Motor City. Seventy-three percent of Republicans oppose a bailout, while only 18 percent support the idea. Independents are nearly of the same mind as Republicans on the issue: 68 percent oppose federal assistance for Detroit and 28 percent support it.
The poll also shows a significant racial divide on the issue. Whites overwhelmingly oppose a federal bailout (63 percent against vs. 26 percent in favor) while a solid majority of African-Americans support a bailout (57 percent favor vs. 36 percent against) as do a plurality of Hispanics (48 percent favor vs. 36 percent against).
A federal bailout for Detroit is very much a live issue politically. Michigan's congressional Democrats are vowing to find federal assistance for the city, while Republicans such as Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul have declared that Washington will bailout Detroit "over my dead body."
Read more at Real Clear Politics.