As members of Congress wrap up their work this week and head back home to campaign, they would be wise to note the results of a new ACS CAN poll of voters’ attitudes about cancer research funding.
The poll of likely voters across 10 key battleground states found voters strongly support increasing federal funding for cancer research and aren’t hearing enough from candidates on the issue. The poll found voters’ support remains strong even when asked to weigh possible tax or deficit implications, demonstrating their clear commitment to such funding.
The poll was conducted as part of Cancer Votes, our nationwide voter education campaign. Cancer Votes aims to elevate the issue of cancer in the election and to ensure both voters and candidates understand the need to make cancer a national priority. As part of the campaign, volunteers across the country are organizing activities to raise the profile of cancer issues, including van tours in nine battleground states, petition gathering and asking candidates what policy actions they would take to help reduce the cancer burden.
Cancer Votes volunteers have already received responses to cancer-specific questions from 15 of 18 U.S. Senate candidates across the swing states along with responses from two presidential candidates.
This activity offers a chance for voters who care about cancer to hear directly from candidates about what steps they would take to help reduce suffering and death from cancer. This is especially important considering Congress’s recent strong, bipartisan focus on boosting medical research funding through the federal budget, the 21st Century Cures legislation and the administration’s National Cancer Moonshot Initiative.
Voters adamantly want the next Congress to keep focused on cancer research. Now is the time for candidates to make clear their commitment to accelerating the pace of such research through steady and significant federal funding increases.
To see if your candidates have responded to our voter guide questions and to get involved in activities near you visit cancervotes.org.
Mariah Forster Olson, an ACS CAN Ambassador Constituent Team Lead (ACT Lead), traveled to Washington, D.C. this week to share her story as a childhood cancer survivor and to advocate on behalf of other patients and survivors during the 2019 Childhood Cancer Action Days.