Suburban Women are Choosing Biden

In the months leading up to any election, battleground states are the absolute focus. However, there is a more specific demographic who will most likely decide the 2020 election: suburban women in swing states. Both the Biden and Trump campaigns know that “the story of the 2020 election is the story of suburban women,” but many are questioning Trump’s attempts.

Amidst this past summer’s protests for justice and against police brutality, Trump has positioned himself as the president of “law and order.” He has committed to making “safety” in the suburbs a priority by banning low-income housing from “invading” their neighborhoods. Trump directed tweets at “suburban housewives,” and without blatantly stating it, committed to segregating neighborhoods. When he says “housewife,” Trump means white mothers. His rhetoric neglects who the suburban woman really is. She can be of color, she can work, she can be single, she can have no children. By not acknowledging the diversity within this demographic, he loses touch with what they are actually concerned about.

Aditi Bagchi, a dentist from the suburbs of Detroit and a daughter of Indian immigrants says, “I think he’s making a call to action … for white women and not for somebody like me.” His fear tactics will not work on people of color in suburbs who know that they and those in their community are not a “threat because of the color of their skin”.

The effects of Trump’s discriminatory and outdated view of the suburbs can be seen in national polls. A survey conducted by All in Together with Lake Research Partners and Emerson College Polling has shown Trump’s popularity among suburban women decline. After surveying 668 women in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Arizona, North Carolina, Virginia, Colorado, New Hampshire, Florida, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, 55% say they are voting for Biden, 41% say they are voting for Trump, and 4% are undecided. 48% of suburban women have a very unfavorable impression of Trump and believe his policies have made their communities less safe.

Suburban women see past Trump’s racist attempts at appealing to them because, in many ways, he doesn’t. He sees them as white housewives he can scare into believing that their American dream will be taken away. In reality, they refuse to be stereotyped into an outdated role, which is why they plan on voting for someone who sees them as they are: a diverse group of hardworking women.