Washington, D.C. — News reports indicate that most of the states falling furthest behind on vaccination rates are led by Republican governors. There is no doubt that Republican elected officials in Washington and elsewhere are failing to lead, and worse, harming the effort by refusing to get vaccinated themselves, floating unproven vaccine conspiracy theories, and blocking efforts to increase vaccinations. This all comes as polling continues to show widespread skepticism among Republican voters about taking the vaccine. In response, Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse issued the following statement:
“From the beginning of this public health crisis, Republican lawmakers have engaged in a deliberate misinformation campaign by downplaying the virus and ignoring common sense steps to stop the spread. Now, by refusing to encourage their supporters to get vaccinated, or worse, fueling wild vaccine conspiracy theories and refusing to lead by example by getting vaccinated themselves, Republicans are prolonging the pandemic and impeding the significant progress that has been made under the leadership of President Biden.
“Republican officials’ refusal to encourage their own constituents to get vaccinated is irresponsible, dangerous, and it has to end. GOP leaders and the conservative media must change their tune and encourage their supporters and viewers to take the vaccine in order to get the country back on track. As our nation pushes hard to get shots in arms and meet President Biden’s goal of 70 percent vaccinated by July 4, we need all hands on deck — and if we don’t reach that goal we’ll all know where to point the finger of blame.”
GOP VACCINE HESITANCY FACT SHEET:
Most of the states falling the furthest behind on reaching the goal of vaccinating 70 percent of adults by July 4 are led by Republican governors.
- The states falling furthest behind on reaching the goal of vaccinating 70 percent of adults are predominantly led by Republicans. “In many states in the Deep South and Mountain West, vaccinations have leveled off both because of limited access and shot hesitancy. Fewer than half of all adults have received at least one shot in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Wyoming, and projections show that the rate is unlikely to reach much higher than 50 percent by early July.” [New York Times, 6/3/21]
- Republican-led states have seen dramatic fall-offs in their vaccination rate. “The slowdown is national — with every state down at least two-thirds from its peak — and particularly felt across the South and Midwest. Twelve states, including Utah, Oklahoma, Montana, the Dakotas and West Virginia, have seen vaccinations fall below 15 daily shots per 10,000 residents; Alabama had just four people per 10,000 residents get vaccinated last week. But the picture varies considerably across the country: Thirteen mostly East and West Coast states have already vaccinated 70 percent of adult residents, and an additional 15 states, plus D.C., are over 60 percent and will likely reach Biden’s goal. The rest are lagging behind. Tennessee and five other states are at 50 percent or below and vaccinating at such low rates that meeting the president’s threshold is very unlikely.” [Washington Post, 6/6/21]
GOP governors are blocking efforts to increase vaccination rates and require vaccinations for high-risk activities
- Texas Governor Greg Abbott is blocking businesses in the state from asking about or requiring vaccinations. “Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says Texas is now open 100% — without any restrictions or limitations or requirements on businesses. In a Monday tweet, Abbott — who has fiercely pushed for opening businesses during the pandemic — signed legislation prohibiting businesses in the state from requiring COVID-19 vaccine ‘passports’ or any other information.” [KXAN, 6/7/21]
- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is fighting the CDC and the cruise industry to block a vaccine requirement for cruise passengers. “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in a Thursday press release blasted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for its cruise ship policies, calling the organization a ‘bureaucratic virus against science-based governance’ and accusing it of ‘discriminating against children.’ The governor’s fiery missive comes as cruise lines in Florida accede to the federal public health agency’s requirement they return to the high seas with vaccinated passengers. It is in defiance, first, of a DeSantis executive order banning so-called vaccine passports and, now, Florida law codifying the prohibition into state statute.” [Palm Beach Post, 6/3/21]
- Georgia Governor Brian Kemp is blocking state agencies and service providers from requiring vaccinations of employees or customers. “Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed an executive order Tuesday prohibiting state agencies, state service providers and state properties from requiring Covid-19 vaccine passports, the governor’s office said. Under the ‘Prohibition of Covid-19 Vaccine Passports’ executive order, a vaccine passport will not be required for entry into the state of Georgia. The order also says that state employers should not have different rules for employees based on vaccination status unless rules are implemented using an honor-code system. Kemp’s announcement marks the most recent of a slew of restrictions on Covid-19 passports codified by Republican governors as growing vaccine levels have facilitated a return to normal.” [CNN, 5/25/21]
- Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is refusing to consider a vaccine lottery, which has boosted vaccination rates in other states. “As other states create lottery systems to encourage residents to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said Wednesday she’s pleased with Iowa’s current rates of vaccination and won’t move to enact similar incentives. ‘I’m not going to do a lottery,’ the Republican governor told reporters during an event in Lake View Wednesday.” [Des Moines Register, 6/2/21]
Many GOP leaders and conservative media members have refused to encourage their followers to get the coronavirus vaccine, choosing rather to spread lies about the vaccine and actively encourage dangerous vaccine hesitancy.
- Fewer than half of Republican House members have agreed to be vaccinated. “Fewer than half of House Republican members have agreed to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to a CNN survey. Around 45 percent have been vaccinated, compared with at least 92 percent of Senate Republicans and all Senate and House Democrats. That comports with polling finding Republicans are less willing than Democrats to be vaccinated.” [Washington Post, 5/20/21]
- Sen. Ron Johnson refuses to get vaccinated and promotes vaccine misinformation. “Johnson this year has been making scientifically dubious claims about coronavirus vaccines, arguing that U.S. health officials and agencies are not disclosing all the relevant risks and open questions to the public. But the information he provides in media appearances, ostensibly to fill in the gaps, is highly suspect. Take this interview with a conservative radio host in Wisconsin. The senator was asked how many people have died after getting vaccinated against the coronavirus, which causes the disease covid-19. He cited data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) and suggested the death count was above 3,000. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says this data does not establish cause and effect between coronavirus vaccinations and reported deaths. A range of experts on immunology told us Johnson was misusing the data and exaggerating the known risks of getting the shot.” [Washington Post, 5/12/21]
- Sen. Rand Paul refuses to get vaccinated. “Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Sunday that he will not be getting vaccinated against COVID-19. During an interview with John Catsimatidis on his radio show on WABC 770 AM, Paul, an ophthalmologist, said he’s making the personal decision because he’s already had COVID-19. Paul tested positive for COVID-19 in March 2020. At the time, he was the first known senator to have contracted the disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that those who have recovered from COVID-19 get vaccinated because experts are unsure about how long natural immunity lasts. However, the Kentucky senator told Catsimatidis that until he sees evidence suggesting that immunity from the vaccine is better than natural immunity, he’s not going to get vaccinated. ‘Until they show me evidence that people who have already had the infection are dying in large numbers or being hospitalized or getting very sick, I just made my own personal decision that I’m not getting vaccinated because I’ve already had the disease and I have natural immunity,’ Paul said.” [The Hill, 5/23/21]
- Tucker Carlson continues to promote vaccine hesitancy and misinformation on his primetime Fox News show. “On his 8 p.m. show, opinion host Tucker Carlson has consistently derided efforts to promote vaccination. ‘Almost 4,000 people died after getting the covid vaccines,’ he warned last week, implying causation where experts say there is none, and relying on self-reported and unverified data from the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System.” [Washington Post, 5/14/21]
Polling continues to show that Republican voters are taking these cues seriously, with about half of Republicans saying that they will not get the coronavirus vaccine.
- Half of Republicans do not plan to get vaccinated. According to June polling from Gallup, about half of Republicans, 46%, compared with 31% of independents and 6% of Democrats, do not plan to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
- A quarter of Republicans say they definitely will not get vaccinated. According to May polling from the Kaiser Family Foundation, Republicans, rural residents, and White Evangelical Christians are disproportionately likely to say they will definitely not get vaccinated. After increasing somewhat in April, vaccine enthusiasm seems to have stalled among Republicans, with about half (49%) saying they’ve gotten at least one dose of the vaccine and 27% saying they will definitely not get vaccinated.