Former President Donald Trump helped accelerate a massive exodus of blue-collar voters from the Democratic Party to the GOP, potentially reshaping the policies of both parties for years to come.
From NBC News:
In the last decade, the percentage of blue-collar voters who call themselves Republicans has grown by 12 points. At the same time, the number in that group identifying as Democrats has declined by 8 points. Among white-collar voters, the numbers have remained stable, with Democrats seeing a tiny increase and Republicans seeing a tiny drop.
Perhaps even more interesting, support from Black and Hispanic blue-collar voters have also seen impressive increases in recent years, despite those groups being traditionally difficult for the GOP to garner support from.
But the blue-collar bump spreads into other voter groups for Republicans, too, including groups that are often harder for the GOP to reach. Hispanic blue-collar voters have peeled off to the Republican Party in the past 10 years.
Hispanic blue-collar support for the GOP grew from 23% in 2010 to 36% in 2010, a 13-point swing. Meanwhile, Black blue-collar voters shifted 7 points during the same time frame:
And you can even see the Republicans’ blue-collar growth among African Americans, a voter demographic that has long been deeply problematic for the GOP.
To be clear, those numbers are still very small. But considering the struggles Republicans have had wooing Black voters, even a little positive movement is something for the party to welcome.
The pollsters noted that the bulk of the shift of blue-collar voters to the GOP happened under Trump. The result is a majority, 57%, of blue-collar voters now saying they align with the GOP.
The policy implications of such a massive shift in voter demographic voters will impact elections for years to come, especially with Republicans debating their next steps in a post-Trump era.
The former president has threatened to start his own party or support the primary opponents of Republicans that deviate from his agenda, a sign that the GOP may have to retool their platform in order to appease their new base.
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