5 messages from American voters in the 2020 presidential election

The2020 presidential electionThe election was always promised to be “historic” and no one doubted that when more than 66% of eligible voters turned out to vote. According to the Washington Post, this was the highest rate since 1900.

This year's election also showed a shift in voter sentiment in a much more surprising direction than traditional predictions.

Support for Donald Trump is growing, not weakening.

The goal ofDemocratic Partyin this year's election was to completely reject President Trump and his political style. However, that did not turn out the way they had hoped.

In fact, President Trump's support in 2020 increased. He won nearly 10 million more votes than he did in 2016 and more than 6 million more than Hillary Clinton (also in 2016).

Trumpism still appeals to tens of millions of voters, from the majority white population in the US to many other voters in traditionally Democratic areas. That is the surprise of this year's election.

In today’s polarized political environment, much of Trump’s record could be seen as purely “negative partisanship.” But for those who are not partisan, Trump’s handling of the economy—which voters have consistently ranked as a top priority—may play a role: Trump’s economic approval ratings have remained high throughout his tenure. In a September Gallup poll, a majority of respondents said they felt the economy was better off than it was four years ago, a level that was unheard of before the 2012 and 2004 elections.

Of course, Mr Trump is also responsible for the worst recession since the Great Depression. But many Americans do not seem to blame Mr Trump for the economic downturn caused by the pandemic, and the election comes as the economy is recovering.

With the trillion-dollar stimulus package Congress passed in March, many middle-class people are actually better off economically than they were before.

Racial polarization appears to be decreasing.

White voters, who make up about two-thirds of the electorate, remain the only ethnic group where Mr. Trump enjoys a majority. Polls—which are preliminary estimates—show his support among white women rising slightly since 2016, but he has lost ground among white men with and without college degrees.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden’s support is weaker than Hillary Clinton’s among other ethnic groups. This is because Mr. Trump has been more active in appealing to black voters than he was four years ago, although black support for the Democratic Party remains high and black turnout is one of the reasons why Mr. Trump lost ground to Mr. Biden in key battleground states like Michigan and Georgia.

Still, Trump’s Latino appeal in Florida and Texas helped him win those states. In Texas in particular, Trump’s handling of the economy, combined with Democrats’ lack of enthusiasm for campaigning there, appears to have been the key to Trump’s success.

“Latinos, like all Americans, are driven by issues that directly affect them. Those can vary depending on factors like religion and where they live, whether they are first-generation immigrants or native-born,” said New York Times columnist Isvett Verde.

What happened to Latinos is also true of Asian Americans, a voting bloc that has traditionally been a strong supporter of the Democratic Party. Asian American voters are also divided in this year’s election. According to one survey, about half of Vietnamese Americans support Mr. Trump, while only 20% of Chinese Americans do.

Suburbs tend to be “green”

In 2018, educated suburban voters helped Democrats regain the House majority. That support continued in this year’s election: Biden’s support in suburban counties across the country was about 4.6 percentage points higher than Hillary’s in 2016. That was also a major factor in Biden’s victory.

“The suburbs are growing and diversifying. They are becoming new immigration hubs. These trends could benefit Democrats in the long run unless Republicans change their game,” wrote Neal Rothschild and Stef W. Kight in an Axios article.

The green-red economic gap is widening.

Polls show that voters whose household incomes fall below $100,000 a year are more likely to support Biden than Trump. But urban areas also show a sharp partisan divide: areas with more educated voters and brighter long-term economic prospects favor Biden, while areas with low job growth and many workers at risk of losing their jobs to automation favor Trump.

Despite demographic shifts, the economic gap between “red” and “blue” areas is widening. If this trend continues, it will be more difficult than ever for Americans to agree on the state of the economy and the policies that are needed.

Be more proactive with progressive policies

According to HuffPost, voters in both red and blue states have had similar shifts in their views, moving more positively toward progressive policies, and that's noticeable not just in traditional areas.

For example, in Florida, a state that Mr. Trump won easily, voters voted to raise the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Arizona has passed a 3.5% income tax hike for the state's highest earners, a policy estimated to raise nearly $940 billion a year for education programs.

Colorado also passed a measure that guarantees workers 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave.

Four states — Arizona, Montana, New Jersey and South Dakota — have legalized marijuana for recreational purposes.

Oregon has also legalized the possession of small amounts of powerful narcotics, the first state to do so, as well as funding for addiction treatment programs. It has also legalized psilocybin, a compound in psychedelic mushrooms, for therapeutic use.

Still, some progressive policies have faced major setbacks. In Illinois, voters rejected a measure that raised taxes on the wealthy — a policy that had broad support across the country. And in California, voters passed Proposition 22, which overturned a law that required companies like Uber and DoorDash to treat their contractors as employees, with guaranteed wages and benefits.

“Proposition 22 is great for employers, but it’s a big loss for workers,” said Robert Reich, a professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and former U.S. Secretary of Labor. “It will encourage other companies to reclassify their workforces, and once they do, more than a century of labor protections will disappear overnight.”