The first instances of this shift seen nationally occurred undoubtedly after the 2016 election. Donald Trump clinched an upset win over Hillary Clinton, primarily due to depressed Democratic Party turnout in crucial counties and a surge of rural and working-class voter support for Donald Trump. Also, Clinton was not well-liked by voters. The white working-class revenge was enough to shatter the blue wall in the Rust Belt. This voter bloc numbers in the tens of millions, so slight changes could have a severe ripple effect in national elections. Obama got a healthy share of these voters—around 35-40 percent—which was more than enough to win.
Since 2016, the white working-class voter drift into the GOP has increased. Non-white working-class voters are starting to follow, which should concern Democrats, who have been cleaning up with college-educated voters and women. Women are a mighty force in elections, but their voting patterns are split among married and unmarried. With labor unions, black, Hispanic, and now Muslim voters drifting away from Biden—they’re all undoubtedly unenthused by him—the rich college kids and suburbanite chardonnay drinkers aren’t enough to carry Biden over the top.
CNN's Tapper: Trump Has Reformed the GOP with More Working Class People, Including Voters of Color, Men Primarily
— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) March 6, 2024
TAPPER: “You‘re talking about how he is reforming the Republican Party more working class people, including voters of color, African American, men primarily, but… pic.twitter.com/Oup02acSSl
On Super Tuesday, CNN’s John King and Jake Tapper broke down the exits and concluded that the Republican Party represents the working class. It’s not even close. This data breakdown occurred when the pair were dissecting the education divide.
“You‘re talking about how he is reforming the Republican Party more working-class people, including voters of color, African American, men primarily, but also Latinos,” said Tapper to King.
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This tidbit would upset the network’s liberal viewership, but it also might unsettle the DC GOP establishment, which is still immersed in a country club atmosphere. The party’s base is more blue-collar, appealing to a more populist message. It’s why the Liz Cheney-Mitt Romney figures of the GOP are done. Still, the fact that the GOP could be a magnet for more non-white working-class voters might be something CNN didn’t want to air.
Democrats will dismiss this, but let’s see what happens on Election Day. Trump is garnering close to a quarter of black voter support. Let’s see if that holds. If it does, Biden is in serious trouble.
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