In Carbon County, PA, Republicans passed Democratic party registration about 2012 and now have about a 7,000 vote advantage. Nationwide Republican Party identification has been growing as well. In 2020 many more voters identified with the Democratic Party. In 2024 the Republicans have caught up. The Republicans have made significant gains among voters who do not have a college degree, rural voters, and evangelical voters. What is more amazing, at least to me, is that the Republicans have made gains among younger Black and Latino voters.
The big question in my mind is why? Perhaps the non-college voters are angry about having loans of college students forgiven, although they don’t seem angry about subsidies for large corporations. Perhaps they are tired of thousands of illegal immigrants crossing the border every month. Perhaps they are angry about the loss of manufacturing jobs, or the homeless setting up camps in the local park. I don’t know the reason. Perhaps the Dems seem like elite snobs. Any answers?
Certainly the switch can’t be because the Republican Party is speaking to their interests.
Info for this post was taken in part from Ruth Igielnik, “G.O.P. Has Closed Party Identification Gap, a Report Says,” New York Times (April 16, 2024), p. A13.
No comments:
Post a Comment