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Five charts show how Trump won the election

November 7, 2024

Donald Trump’s victory got here swiftly and decisively. Earlier than even 6am Jap time on Wednesday, he had won the election. Anticipate months, if not years, of debate over the Democrats’ missteps, of which there are loads to scrutinise. However Mr Trump’s strengths should be recognised, too. Our 5 charts beneath present America’s sizeable shift away from the Democrats, and in direction of MAGA Republicanism.

Begin with county-level knowledge. With 95% of votes counted, Mr Trump had elevated his vote share throughout all counties by 89% in contrast with 2020. That was true even in reliably blue states: in New York, for instance, he secured 44% of the vote as of November seventh (with some counties left to rely), up from 38% in 2020. In New Jersey he misplaced to Kamala Harris by simply 5 factors, in contrast with a 16-point hole in opposition to Mr Biden. Forty-seven counties flipped from Democrat to Republican (see chart 1). Ms Harris lagged behind Mr Biden’s efficiency in suburban counties throughout the nation, that are essential battlegrounds for each events. That led to her successful way more narrowly than was anticipated in states equivalent to Virginia, and dropping in others, equivalent to Pennsylvania.

Subsequent, contemplate demographic knowledge. Exit polls by Edison Analysis, an information firm, are the most typical technique of analysing such patterns. These surveys are liable to well-known errors. However so long as these errors are comparatively constant over time, evaluating exit polls in 2024 with these of 2020 ought to present a like-for-like evaluation of the swings. No group seems to have moved additional in direction of Mr Trump than Hispanic voters (see chart 2). Edison’s exit polls present that Ms Harris’s margin throughout the nation with this group was simply six factors; in 2020 the identical polls confirmed that Mr Biden carried it by 33 factors.

This shift is particularly stark amongst males, who went from supporting Mr Biden by 23 factors in 2020, to favouring Mr Trump by 12 factors (although different exit polls gave Mr Trump a smaller margin than that this 12 months). This development holds up nicely when analysing the official outcomes, fairly than counting on exit polls. Ms Harris received a considerably decrease share of the vote in closely Hispanic counties in contrast with Mr Biden, particularly in Florida. (Learn our full analysis of the Hispanic swing.)

Black voters largely caught with the Democrats. In 2020 Mr Biden received 87% of the black vote—roughly the identical share as Ms Harris did this 12 months, though that’s nonetheless far decrease than the margins Democrats used to get. In an effort to retain help amongst a key demographic, Ms Harris’s marketing campaign launched an “alternative agenda for black males” promising, amongst different issues, to offer extra enterprise loans to entrepreneurs. Ultimately Ms Harris did higher than Mr Biden with black girls and college-educated voters, however she fell behind on black males and rural voters (see chart 3).

Forward of the election, a lot was fabricated from Mr Trump’s courting of low-propensity voters (a wonky time period for individuals who are eligible to vote however usually keep at residence on election day). Mr Trump guess huge on younger males who’ve traditionally not had a lot belief or curiosity in politics, utilizing the likes of Elon Musk and Joe Rogan, a podcast host, to drum up help amongst their followers.

However there’s little proof from the exit polls that the bros helped seal Mr Trump’s comeback. The largest swings amongst younger voters got here from Hispanics, whose rising fondness for Mr Trump spanned age teams. Actually, younger white individuals aged 18 to 29 moved nearer to the Democrats no matter their training stage. Surprisingly, Mr Trump closed the hole on his 2020 exhibiting with younger girls—albeit marginally—by virtually as a lot as he did with younger males (however girls have been nonetheless extra more likely to vote for Ms Harris).

If there’s one matter that Democrats had hoped would work of their favour, it was abortion. Many People imagine that the conservative justices Mr Trump appointed to the Supreme Courtroom made doable the overturning of Roe v Wade and, with it, the constitutional proper to abortion. Polls had instructed that Ms Harris might win again most of the women who had voted for Mr Trump in 2020.

Actually the exit polls present little motion in the way in which girls voted in 2024 in contrast with 4 years in the past. Ms Harris nonetheless loved a snug lead amongst younger and college-educated girls, however Mr Trump narrowed the hole amongst different teams, equivalent to rural girls and people and not using a diploma (see chart 5). Exit polls printed by the Related Press additionally present that Mr Trump’s enchantment grew amongst 18- to 44-year-old girls.

Polling had instructed that the election could be the closest in a long time. Ultimately Mr Trump received not simply the electoral vote, however appeared on observe to win the favored vote too—the primary Republican to take action since George W. Bush in 2004. People have handed him a transparent mandate. ■

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