Election less about the economy than we thought
By Philip Bump
April 12 at 4:45 PM
A central rationale for President Trump’s unexpected victory in 2016 was his appeal to working-class white voters, particularly in Rust Belt states where he promised to resurrect the sagging manufacturing economy. Trump’s win was often attributed to his ability to speak to the economic insecurity about which those voters were concerned.
Over time, that explanation seemed less compelling as people noted, among other things, that voters who said they were primarily worried about the economy overwhelmingly backed Hillary Clinton. Clinton voters were also more likely to report being economically distressed, including solely among whites ...
Twenty years ago, working-class whites were about as likely to identify as Democrats as Republicans, while college-educated whites were much more likely to identify as Republicans. The two groups moved mostly in tandem for the next few years, according to Gallup, until 2006. That year, a year when Democrats regained the House, both college-educated and non-college-educated white voters were slightly more Democratic than Republican.
Since then, though, and particularly since shortly after the 2010 midterms — during which the Republicans romped — the groups have diverged significantly ...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/04/12/trumps-election-may-have-been-less-about-economy-than-we-thought/?utm_term=.283f700bd11b
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