Vice President Kamala Harris seems to have only improved Democrats’ chances with white college-educated voters compared to the 2020 election, according to CNN’s exit polls. In 2024, the Democratic nominee won this group by a margin of 52 percent to 45 percent, slightly better than Joe Biden’s 51 percent to 48 percent win in 2020. However, Harris lost ground with voters of color who hold college degrees, winning by a smaller margin than Biden did in the previous election. Additionally, Democrats also lost ground among voters of color without degrees, with Harris winning this group by 64 percent to 34 percent on Tuesday compared to Biden’s 72 percent to 26 percent win in 2020. Trump seemed to have won over working-class families, with the group making under $50,000 annually shifting towards him by 3 points in the 2024 election, per CNN’s exit polling.
One factor raised by critics for President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in the recent election is that the Democrats have lost touch with working-class Americans. Trump beat Harris in nearly every major battleground state and improved among several key demographics, particularly Latino voters. Trump gained 14 points among Latinos in the 2024 election, with Harris only winning the bloc by a 6-point margin compared to Biden’s 33-point win in 2020. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders criticized the Democratic Party for abandoning working-class Americans and defended the need for change. The Democratic leadership has been accused of defending the status quo while ignoring the anger and desire for change among the American people, as highlighted in Sanders’ statement.
The Harris campaign has faced backlash from within its own party over accusations of elitism. The Philadelphia Democratic Chair, Bob Brady, expressed frustration over the lack of communication between the Harris campaign and the local party, claiming they were elitist and did not include the Democratic city committee or leaders in their outreach efforts. Harris’ team responded to Brady’s criticism by highlighting their efforts in reaching out to voters, knocking on more than two million doors leading up to Election Day. The spokesperson for Harris emphasized that the previous practice of fundraising by the party chairman was deemed unnecessary and should not be entertained in future campaigns.
The Democratic Party appears to have lost ground among various demographics compared to the 2020 election, with Trump making gains among Latino voters and white working-class families. While Harris improved Democrats’ chances among white college-educated voters, she lost ground with voters of color both with and without degrees. Critics have argued that the Democratic Party needs to address the concerns of working-class Americans and embrace a message of change to appeal to a wider range of voters. The accusations of elitism within the Harris campaign indicate a need for better communication and engagement with local party structures to ensure a more inclusive and effective outreach strategy in future elections.
