Who Voted for Donald Trump, and Why? — 11/27/16
Why were we so surprised to see Donald Trump upset Hillary Clinton in the election? One reason was his divisive rhetoric: many thought it would alienate Republicans who would normally vote along party lines. After all, some members of his own party would not endorse him. As it turned out, he had key support in the battleground states. So, what happened?
A cursory review of exit polls shows a clear discrepancy between white and non-white voters. For one, Donald Trump handily won the white “uneducated” (no college education) vote. One might quickly point to lurking racism and xenophobia in Middle America that found their voice through Trump as the reason for this discrepancy.
Trump, however, also won the white educated vote. So is white nationalism really the answer? A closer look is required. The purpose of these readings is to investigate: who voted for Donald Trump, and why did they ignore or support his platform and rhetoric?
Readings for 11/27/16:
(1) The American Conservative interview with J.D. Vance, the author of Hillbilly Elegy. This article is helpful in empathizing with the white working class.
(2) Pew Research Center summary on demographic voting statistics from the 2016 election. The plot on the white uneducated voters is particularly insightful.
(3) New York Times article exploring why white women voted for Donald Trump.
(4) Slate article on why white Obama voters ended up voting for Trump during this election.
