Connect with us

NEWS

Incredible -Why a strong female support base wasn’t enough to help Kamala Harris clinch a presidential win..See More 👇

Published

on

Trump connected with voters on his promise to fix the economy and to be different from the current administration. That was enough to overcome the abortion issue, a weakness of his and a strength of Harris’s.

Supporters at Howard University in Washington, D.C., after Vice President Kamala Harris lost the election to former President Donald Trump.

Female voters were expected to turn out in droves for Kamala Harris on Election Day. There was an advertising blitz encouraging conservative women to vote for Harris in secret. There was a bold proclamation by anti-Donald Trump Republican Liz Cheney that women would “save the day” Tuesday. And polling showed Harris held an impressive 20-point lead over Trump on the issue of abortion.

None of it was nearly enough for Harris to clinch the presidency.

Political scholars and pollsters say Trump handily defeated Harris despite his weaknesses on issues such as abortion because of areas in which he connected so strongly with voters — specifically his claim that he would fix the economy and his commitment to being different from the current administration.

“When you look at the exit poll, what is the issue that was most important? It was the economy and people feeling like they couldn’t make ends meet and that inflation was having a negative impact on their lives,” said Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.

“The challenge Kamala Harris had was while she was not Joe Biden, she is Joe Biden’s vice president, and trying to unhook herself from that when the president himself had such a high disapproval rate was really difficult,” she said.

Supporters react to results on Election Night at Howard University.
Supporters react to results on Election Night at Howard University.Shuran Huang For NBC News
Data from NBC News’ exit polling in 10 key states as of 7 p.m. ET Wednesday showed large gender gaps for the candidates: Among men, who made up 47% of the electorate, Harris won 42% of the vote and Trump won 55%. Among women, who made up 53% of the electorate, 53% voted for Harris and 45% for Trump.

Broken down by race and education, the gender gap showed even wider splits in some cases: An overwhelming 91% of Black women voted for Harris vs. 7% who voted for Trump, and 57% of college-educated white women voted for Harris vs. 41% who voted for Trump.

Recommended

Western Wildfires
California wildfire fueled by high winds grows to 10,400 acres and forces evacuations
But among white female non-college graduates, only 35% voted for Harris vs. 63% who voted for Trump.

Harris reassures young voters during concession speech: ‘You have power’
“There is this educational divide in this country which has become much more pronounced in terms of voting behavior,” said Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research, who conducted the final NBC News poll before the election with Republican pollster Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies. “Yes, abortion is a really, really fundamental issue to the election, but when you’re looking at particularly white women and white non-college-educated women, inflation, cost of living and other issues weaken her margins with those voters.”

A majority of voters in exit polling — 65% — said they supported abortion being legal, and 93% of all voters expressed more trust in Harris to handle abortion compared with just 5% who put their trust in Trump. But just 14% of voters said abortion mattered the most to their votes when they were asked to choose out of five issues. The economy was the most pressing issue for most voters, with 32% ranking it first.

Harris is the second woman Trump has defeated in the race for president. That does not mean that Americans are not ready for a female president, Walsh said, pointing out that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote in 2016.

But, she added, Harris faced an enormous uphill battle, especially because she had so little time to introduce her stances on all the issues after Biden announced he was dropping out of the race.

“When a woman of color is running for that job, it is completely upending all the stereotypes about who can lead, and she had less than 200 days to do that,” she said.

People listen to Harris give her concession speech Wednesday at Howard University.
People listen to Harris give her concession speech Wednesday at Howard University.Shuran Huang For NBC News
Trump’s win prompted a range of reactions from female voters.

In Waukesha County, Wisconsin, Jessica Elliott said she voted for Trump because she felt he would “allow us to go in the right direction” with the economy, her primary concern.

“I’m a single mom who’s got a daughter who’s full-time, and groceries are hard. Gas is hard. Things are expensive,” she said. “Budgets are really, really, really stretched thin.”

In Phoenix, the capital of the swing state of Arizona, small-business owner Alexandria Bielek cried Wednesday before she described how disappointed she felt, especially as a woman.

“I’m feeling devastated,” said Bielek, 50. “I’m 100% positive that within the next four years, there’s going to be a national abortion ban.”

She said she had hoped for a different outcome.

“I just thought that the other choice was so despicable that she was really going to have a chance, especially not campaigning very heavily on the fact that she was a woman,” Bielek said.

In her concession speech Wednesday, Harris encouraged supporters to continue to fight for the future they want to see in the country.

She told young people to never give up.

Harris supporters hold a flag before her speech at Howard University on Wednesday.
Harris supporters hold a flag before her speech at Howard University on Wednesday.Shuran Huang For NBC News
“You have power,” she said. “And don’t you ever listen when anyone tells you something is impossible because it has never been done before.”

NEWS6 hours ago

Breaking News:Jennifer Lopez explains why cancelling tour was worth it for her family..See More 👇

NEWS11 hours ago

Exclusive:King Charles pays surprise tribute to Queen Camilla amid her health woes..See more 👇

NEWS11 hours ago

SHILOH – Brad Pitt’s daughter admitted: “Diddy made me wait in the room for 12 hours. Then he came in and forced me… I shook my head, he… See more

NEWS12 hours ago

Breaking News:At 60, Princess Diana’s Sister Breaks Down in Tears, Finally Confirming Rumors: “I Dared Not Speak Out; That Person Is Too Powerful and Frightening.hienca..See More 👇

NEWS12 hours ago

Breaking News -Martha Stewart Said Reporter Who Covered Her Trial Was ‘Dead Now, Thank Goodness’ but She’s Not: ‘I’m Alive, Bitch!’..See More 👇

NEWS13 hours ago

Exclusive -Mel Gibson Just EXPOSED Diddy’s Secret Footage & Was Silenced.ngocchau..Read More 👇

NEWS13 hours ago

Shocking News -Mike Tyson’s harsh reaction after catching Brad Pitt with his ex-wife during the divorce, he also ….see more

NEWS13 hours ago

Exclusive:Elon Musk JUST EXPOSED Full Details of Hollywood Celebrities That Have Done TERRIFYING Things!..See More 👇

NEWS14 hours ago

Breaking News:Elon Musk’s transgender daughter announces plans to leave US after Trump’s victory..See More 👇

NEWS21 hours ago

Unbelievable -The Diddy controversy has now hit Chris Brown in new rape allegations against him..Read More 👇

NEWS22 hours ago

Breaking: Kim Kardashian has announced that she is pregnant with Travis Kelce’s child. According to sources, Kardashian made the announcement during a private event, leaving many in disbelief and Taylor Swift is…. See More

NEWS22 hours ago

Confirmed? Taylor Swift set to announce ‘Reputation (Taylor’s Version)’ at her final Toronto show..See More 👇

Copyright © 2024 Celebritymoods