Political Analyst: "Although citizens of this state normally oppose any new taxes, they are overwhelmingly in favor of taxes that support the medical initiative. Candidate Johnson vowed to cut these taxes, and he was trounced in the primary elections. Furthermore, in a poll that asked citizens, "Would you pay higher taxes if it meant having the benefit of the new medical initiative?", an astonishing 82% replied "Yes." This is a pattern of support for taxes we have not seen before in this state."
In the political analyst's argument, the portion in boldface plays which of the following roles?