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The Luzerne County Courthouse in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. File photo.
One in Three Americans Back Second Execution Attempt After Failure, Poll Finds
WASHINGTON — October 20, 2026
About one-third of Americans believe authorities should make a second attempt to execute a convicted person if the first attempt fails, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted after a lethal injection attempt left Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike alive.
The nationwide survey found that 39% of respondents believed the person should instead serve life in prison after a failed execution. Another 26% said they were unsure which approach was better, while roughly one-third supported trying again.
The poll followed two failed lethal injection attempts against Pike, 50, in Nashville last month. She was taken to hospital unconscious and critically ill, with severe injuries to her arms, after syringes containing the drug pentobarbital failed to kill her. She regained consciousness five days later. The incident marked Tennessee’s second botched lethal injection this year.
The case has renewed debate over whether states should be allowed to try executing a person again after an unsuccessful attempt. The issue has become more prominent as courts consider the legal limits of repeated execution attempts.
Overall support for the death penalty remains higher than opposition, but it has declined in recent years. The poll found that 55% of Americans supported capital punishment for people convicted of the most serious crimes, compared with 63% in a similar Reuters/Ipsos poll in 2017. Meanwhile, 31% opposed the death penalty, while 13% either did not know or did not answer.
The debate also reflects wider challenges facing states that retain capital punishment. Many countries and 23 US states have abolished the death penalty, while states that still use it have faced difficulties obtaining execution drugs. Some have considered alternative methods, including firing squads.
A previous case in Alabama has also raised questions about second execution attempts. Kenneth Smith, who was convicted of a 1988 murder-for-hire, survived an execution attempt in 2022 after officials failed to establish intravenous lines. Alabama executed him in 2024 using nitrogen gas, a different method. The US Supreme Court recently allowed a state to proceed with scheduling a second execution date after an earlier attempt failed.
Public opinion on executions being shown to audiences has also become part of the debate. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently raised the possibility of livestreaming the planned firing-squad execution of Nidal Hasan, a former US Army major convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas.
President Donald Trump later cancelled the livestream plan following widespread criticism, including from Republican lawmakers. Officials still intend to carry out Hasan’s execution on December 3.
In the poll, 46% of respondents said executing Hasan by firing squad was appropriate, including 29% of Democrats and 71% of Republicans. However, 71% said showing executions on television or the internet was inappropriate, with majorities of both Democrats and Republicans opposing public broadcasts.
The Reuters/Ipsos survey was conducted online across the United States over four days and collected responses from 1,679 adults. Its margin of error was two percentage points.
The findings show that although a majority of Americans continue to support capital punishment, opinions are more divided over what should happen when an execution fails and whether executions should be shown to the public.
