Nicotine Users Played an Important Role in Trump's Victory

According to a new survey reported by the Daily Mail on December 16th, nicotine users have become a significant demographic that contributed to Donald Trump's victory in the November election. The survey found that users of tobacco, e-cigarettes, snus, or similar nicotine pouches like ZYN were more likely to support the Republican candidate.

According to a recent survey conducted by Cygnal, 56% of the 2,200 nicotine users who participated in the poll voted for Trump. This represents a 6% increase from his overall 49% support in the general election. Meanwhile, only 40% of respondents voted in support of current Vice President Kamala Harris.

Further analysis shows that users of tobacco pouches or nicotine pouches, especially fans of the ZYN brand, such as Robert Kennedy Jr. and Tucker Carlson, are most likely to vote for Trump. Among this group of users, 62% support the Republican Party, while only 33% support Harris.

Among traditional cigarette users, 57% lean towards supporting Trump, while 40% support Harris. Among e-cigarette users, 54% voted for Trump, and 43% support Harris. Furthermore, with the Biden administration pushing for a ban on mint-flavored cigarettes in recent years, 54% of mint-flavored cigarette users say they choose to support Trump.

President Biden restarted the proposal to ban menthol tobacco products in 2021. However, earlier this year, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra announced the suspension of the ban, citing the need for further discussion.

Investigation also shows that a minority of ethnic nicotine users are more inclined towards Trump. In the 2024 election, as many as 47% of Hispanic nicotine users said they voted for Trump, compared to the 37% of Hispanic voters who supported him that year. In 2016, Trump only received support from 28% of Hispanic voters, which increased to 32% in 2020. In the 2024 election, 31% of black nicotine users voted for Trump, a number that is 13% higher than the overall Republican support among black voters, which is approximately 18%. In the 2020 election, Biden garnered about 90% of the black voter support. In 2024, Trump doubled his vote share among black voters, securing one-fifth of the vote.

For the Democratic Party, this outcome may be partly attributed to their push for the ban on menthol cigarettes. This product is more popular among black nicotine users than other demographics.

Democratic Congressman Don Davis opposes the mint flavor ban, stating that this policy is not popular in his district. He believes that in addition to the ban, more measures can be taken to address the issue.

A survey found that 54% of Mint Churn users voted in support of President Trump. Many of these Mint Churn users stated that they voted for Trump after hearing about the federal government pushing to ban Mint Churn products.

Additionally, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has warned that ZYN is targeting the youth market with social media advertising and has called on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate.

A Cygnal survey found that two-thirds of nicotine pouch users vote in support of Trump.