Seen, Read, Heard
2019 is nearly over. Here’s what news broke through in Morning Consult polls.
Morning Consult was in the field nearly every week in 2019, asking roughly 90,000 registered voters over the course of the year how much they’d seen, read or heard about more than 230 current events. Not all news resonated the same. Here’s the share of voters who heard “a lot” about 100 of the events we thought were most noteworthy, and how the news penetrated along party lines.
Filter your selection by one or more of the items below to view.
%
Democrats
%
All Voters
%
Republicans
January
Back to Top
58%
52%
50%
The federal government partially shuts down for 35 days
01.01.19
Government shutdown
30%
27%
29%
Covington Catholic High School students have an encounter with an elderly Native American and Black Israelites
01.18.19
National Mall confrontation
47%
39%
38%
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blocks President Donald Trump's State of the Union address during the shutdown
01.23.19
Pelosi blocks SOTU address
36%
27%
22%
Trump associate Roger Stone arrested on charges of lying to Congress and obstructing the Mueller probe
01.25.19
Stone arrested
48%
41%
38%
Government shutdown ends without funding for U.S.-Mexico border wall
01.25.19
Shutdown ends
February
Back to Top
44%
40%
41%
Virginia’s governor and attorney general admit to wearing blackface in the 1980s, and the state's lieutenant governor is accused of sexual assault
02.01.19
Virginia scandals
43%
48%
61%
Trump delivers his State of the Union address
02.05.19
Trump's SOTU address
22%
21%
24%
Democrats introduce their Green New Deal climate plan
02.07.19
Green New Deal
15%
18%
24%
Rep. Ilhan Omar is called anti-Semitic after suggesting U.S. political support for Israel is driven by pro-Israel lobbying groups
02.11.19
Omar accused of anti-Semitism
71%
65%
68%
Trump declares a national emergency to fund part of a U.S.-Mexico border wall
02.15.19
National emergency
42%
34%
31%
Bernie Sanders announces 2020 presidential campaign
02.19.19
Feel the Bern
58%
53%
56%
Chicago police accuse actor Jussie Smollett of staging racist, homophobic attack on himself
02.20.19
Smollett accused of faking attack
49%
42%
45%
Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meet in Vietnam
02.27.19
Hanoi summit
58%
48%
46%
Trump longtime attorney Michael Cohen testifies before Congress
02.27.19
Cohen testifies
March
Back to Top
47%
37%
31%
Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort gets 47 months in prison for tax and bank fraud
03.07.19
Manafort sentenced
60%
53%
55%
A college admissions scandal involving Hollywood actresses, business leaders and wealthy parents
03.12.19
Operation Varsity Blues
43%
40%
42%
FAA grounds Boeing's 737 Max line after fatal crashes
03.13.19
Boeing's 737 Max grounded
49%
42%
43%
Trump vetoes a bipartisan resolution to overturn his national emergency
03.15.19
Still a national emergency
61%
51%
44%
White nationalist kills 51 people at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand
03.15.19
Christchurch shooting
43%
39%
37%
Midwestern states experience intense flooding due to rain and melting snow
03.17.19
Historic Midwestern floods
59%
43%
32%
Trump criticizes the late Sen. John McCain
03.20.19
Trump's McCain attacks
54%
49%
52%
Robert Mueller submits his report on Russia's 2016 election interference to Attorney General William Barr
03.22.19
Mueller concludes Russia investigation
51%
51%
55%
Chicago prosecutors drop charges against the actor Jussie Smollett
03.26.19
Smollett charges dropped
41%
28%
20%
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos proposes a $18 million cut to the Special Olympics program
03.26.19
DeVos' proposed cut to Special Olympics funding
44%
42%
46%
Multiple women accuse Joe Biden of touching them in ways that made them feel uncomfortable
03.31.19
Biden accused of inappropriate contact
April
Back to Top
17%
13%
12%
Republicans change Senate rules to reduce debate time for most executive branch nominations
04.03.19
Senate goes nuclear
25%
26%
29%
Attorney general suggests the Trump's campaign was spied on
04.10.19
Barr backs Trump on spy claims
31%
28%
27%
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange arrested after Ecuadorian Embassy eviction
04.11.19
Assange arrested
34%
32%
35%
A redacted version of the Mueller report is released
04.18.19
Mueller report released
51%
45%
45%
Islamist extremists kill hundreds in Sri Lanka at churches and hotels on Easter Sunday
04.21.19
Sri Lanka church bombings
56%
43%
36%
Biden announces 2020 presidential campaign
04.25.19
Biden's running, folks
41%
32%
28%
White nationalist kills one and injures three at a California synagogue on the last day of Passover
04.27.19
Passover shooting
40%
30%
23%
Mueller sends letter to Barr criticizing his public portrayal of the Mueller report
04.30.19
Mueller letter to Barr leaks
May
Back to Top
58%
51%
49%
Georgia and Alabama place additional restrictions on when women can have an abortion
05.07.19
State abortion restrictions
42%
35%
36%
Trump raises tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods as trade talks break down
05.10.19
Trade war with China escalates
20%
17%
14%
Theresa May resigns as U.K. prime minister
05.24.19
British prime minister steps down
39%
35%
35%
Mueller comments publicly for the first time on his findings
05.29.19
Mueller breaks silence
50%
42%
37%
Trump tweets, “I had nothing to do with Russia helping me to get elected”
05.30.19
'I had nothing to do with Russia helping me to get elected'
55%
49%
49%
Trump threatens to impose a 5 percent tariff on Mexican imports
05.30.19
Tariff threat aimed at Mexico
June
Back to Top
38%
38%
42%
Trump embarks on a state visit to the United Kingdom
06.03.19
Trump and the queen
33%
34%
41%
Border Patrol apprehends over 132,000 migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, the highest monthly total since 2006
06.05.19
Rise in migrant border arrests
27%
24%
24%
Biden says he no longer supports the Hyde Amendment, which mostly bans the use of federal funding for abortion
06.06.19
Biden reverses stance on Hyde Amendment
38%
26%
18%
Trump suggests he would accept information on Democratic presidential candidates from foreign governments
06.12.19
Trump’s remarks on foreign opposition research
36%
31%
34%
Sarah Huckabee Sanders steps down as White House press secretary
06.13.19
White House Press Secretary Sanders heads home
13%
10%
9%
A new Trump administration policy cuts power plant carbon emissions by less than half of what experts say is necessary
06.19.19
Repeal of Obama-era Clean Power Plan
40%
38%
40%
Trump calls off attack on Iran after it shoots down U.S. drone
06.20.19
Trump cancels Iran attack
23%
18%
14%
Advice columnist E. Jean Carroll accuses Trump of sexually assaulting her in the mid-1990s
06.21.19
Her too
32%
23%
19%
Democratic presidential candidates face off for the first and second time
06.26.19
Miami debates
32%
29%
29%
Supreme Court blocks a citizenship question from being added to the 2020 census
06.27.19
Supreme Court rules on census
July
Back to Top
41%
38%
39%
Jeffrey Epstein is charged with sex-trafficking girls as young as 14
07.08.19
Epstein charged
17%
18%
20%
Former presidential candidate Ross Perot dies at age 89
07.09.19
Perot dies
27%
23%
21%
Labor Secretary Alex Acosta resigns following criticism of Epstein's 2008 plea agreement
07.12.19
Acosta resigns
64%
49%
39%
Trump tweets that four congresswomen of color should “go back to your country”
07.14.19
'Go back to your country'
31%
24%
19%
Trump administration says it will end asylum protections for most migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border
07.15.19
Asylum rules tightened
29%
26%
27%
Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin Guzman sentenced to life in prison
07.17.19
El Chapo sentenced
52%
40%
33%
A Trump campaign crowd chants “send her back” in reference to Rep. Omar, who was born in Somalia
07.17.19
'Send her back'
48%
37%
33%
Trump attacks Rep. Elijah Cummings and calls Baltimore a "rat and rodent infested mess"
07.27.19
'Rat and rodent infested mess'
35%
28%
25%
Three people are killed during a shooting at a garlic festival in Gilroy, Calif.
07.28.19
Gilroy shooting
53%
36%
24%
Court testimony reveals the Trump administration separated more than 900 migrant children at the U.S.-Mexico border after rescinding its family separation policy
07.30.19
Family separation continues
36%
25%
20%
Democratic presidential candidates face off for the third and fourth time
07.30.19
Detroit debates
August
Back to Top
63%
58%
55%
22 people are killed during a shooting at a Walmart in El Paso
08.03.19
El Paso shooting
59%
52%
50%
Nine people are killed during a shooting in downtown Dayton, Ohio
08.04.19
Dayton shooting
18%
14%
13%
A boycott of SoulCycle and Equinox following news that a major shareholder would host a fundraiser for Trump
08.07.19
#BoycottEquinox, #BoycottSoulCycle
22%
21%
25%
Biden says, “Poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids”
08.08.19
'Poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids'
61%
58%
62%
Epstein is found dead in his Manhattan jail cell
08.10.19
Epstein found dead
27%
23%
22%
Trump announces he'll delay Chinese tariffs set to take effect in December
08.13.19
Chinese tariffs delayed
41%
40%
42%
Six Philadelphia police officers shot and wounded during an eight-hour standoff
08.14.19
Philadelphia police shot in standoff
26%
18%
12%
Trump reportedly asks advisers to look into purchasing Greenland from Denmark
08.16.19
How much for Greenland?
18%
13%
11%
Facing new Trump administration rules, Planned Parenthood says it will no longer accept Title X federal funding for family planning
08.19.19
Planned Parenthood leaves Title X
37%
28%
21%
Trump says that Jewish Americans who vote for the Democratic Party show “either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty”
08.20.19
'Either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty'
September
Back to Top
72%
69%
69%
Hurricane Dorian hits the Bahamas, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida
09.01.19
Hurricane Dorian
43%
31%
21%
Trump displays a map of Hurricane Dorian's projected path across the U.S. that was altered using a Sharpie
09.04.19
'Sharpiegate'
20%
14%
9%
Democratic presidential candidates participate in a climate change town hall on CNN
09.04.19
Climate change town hall
30%
26%
25%
The Trump administration says it might ban flavored electronic cigarette products
09.11.19
Ban on flavored vapes proposed
31%
22%
17%
Democratic presidential candidates face off for the fifth time
09.12.19
Houston debate
51%
45%
45%
Intelligence official’s whistleblower complaint surfaces regarding Trump's communications with the Ukranian president
09.18.19
Whistleblower complaint
42%
30%
18%
Youth-led protests around the world call for governments to do more on climate change
09.20.19
Global Climate Strike
55%
51%
53%
Pelosi calls for a formal impeachment inquiry into Trump
09.24.19
Pelosi backs impeachment inquiry
46%
42%
43%
The White House releases a summary of a July 25 call between Trump and Ukraine's president
09.25.19
Details of Trump’s phone call with Ukraine leader
October
Back to Top
39%
31%
28%
Sanders cancels campaign events following heart surgery
10.02.19
Sanders' heart attack
54%
42%
34%
Trump urges China and Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden
10.03.19
Trump calls on China to investigate Bidens
21%
19%
17%
The Chinese lash out against the NBA after the Houston Rockets general manager tweets support for Hong Kong protests
10.07.19
NBA's China controversy
12%
8%
6%
A new book reveals 43 allegations of sexual misconduct against Trump
10.09.19
Them too
44%
34%
26%
Trump pulls troops out of northeastern Syria
10.09.19
Syria withdrawal
35%
24%
15%
Two associates of Rudy Giuliani are arrested on charges of violating campaign finance rules
10.10.19
Giuliani associates arrested
28%
21%
15%
Former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch tells impeachment investigators that Trump pressed for her removal
10.11.19
Former ambassador to Ukraine testifies
24%
17%
11%
Democratic presidential candidates face off for the sixth time
10.15.19
Ohio debate
37%
26%
18%
Rep. Cummings dies at age 68
10.17.19
Cummings dies
33%
22%
13%
Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney describes a quid pro quo with Ukraine to reporters, then issues statement denying any quid pro quo
10.17.19
Mulvaney’s conflicting statements on a quid pro quo
35%
25%
16%
U.S. diplomat Bill Taylor testifies that Trump withheld Ukraine military aid as he pressured Kyiv to say it was investigating the Bidens
10.22.19
Top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine testifies
32%
25%
20%
Republican lawmakers storm a secure room for closed-door impeachment hearings
10.23.19
GOP lawmakers protest impeachment inquiry
26%
20%
16%
Trump lifts sanctions on Turkey after the country agreed to stop attacking Kurdish-led forces in northeastern Syria
10.23.19
Removal of sanctions on Turkey
48%
42%
42%
The House of Representatives votes to formalize its impeachment inquiry into Trump
10.31.19
House votes on impeachment plan
November
Back to Top
24%
17%
13%
E.U. Ambassador Gordon Sondland revises testimony, says military aid for Ukraine was tied to Trump's demand to investigate Bidens
11.05.19
Sondland switchbacks
41%
32%
29%
Several current and former Trump administration officials publicly testify as part of the House Intelligence Committee's impeachment investigation
11.13.19
Impeachment probe goes public
30%
19%
11%
Stone, the longtime Trump associate, is found guilty of witness tampering and lying to Congress
11.15.19
Stone found guilty
23%
14%
9%
Democratic presidential candidates face off for the seventh time
11.20.19
Atlanta debate
December
Back to Top
46%
38%
37%
Pelosi directs House committee chairmen to proceed with drafting articles of impeachment against Trump
12.05.19
Articles of impeachment
37%
33%
34%
A Saudi military trainee shoots and kills three people at a naval air station in Pensacola, Fla.
12.06.19
Pensacola shooting
60%
58%
61%
The House votes to adopt two articles of impeachment against Trump
12.18.19
Trump impeached