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Five key lessons from the 2020 exit polls

Over the past 50 years, with Republicans mostly in charge, lots of things have changed in the United States. Here are a few examples.
1) A child’s chance of earning more than his or her parents has plummeted from 90 to 50 percent.
2) Earnings by the top 1 percent of Americans nearly tripled, while middle-class wages have been basically frozen for four decades.
3.) 68,000 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States in 2018. (72k in 2017, 63k in 2016, 52k in 2015)
4) Nearly one in five children in the US are now at risk of going hungry.
5) Among the 35 richest countries in the world, the US now has the highest infant mortality rate and the lowest life expectancy.
SOURCE

1. Men moved against Trump just as much as women
2. Independents shifted heavily toward Biden
3. Trump improved with Latinos
4. White evangelicals stayed solid for Trump
5. In 2016, a full 18 percent of voters said they had an unfavorable opinion of both Trump and Clinton. Trump won among those voters by 17 points.
   This year, his margin was identical. But the voters who said they liked neither candidate cast just 3 percent of all ballots.

Who Says its not a Cult ? Nov 15 2020 S. Dakota:- While many patients are "grateful for the care they receive" from nurses, some COVID patients spend their last moments refusing to call family and friends because they're convinced they're going to be fine.
 "Their last dying words are, 'This can't be happening. It's not real,'".
 In some cases, patients even insist they have the flu or lung cancer to avoid acknowledging the coronavirus.

“It’s easy to say, ‘I’m a conservative,’ and vote that way when the person I supported was humble and thoughtful. … These times are not those.”

Lesley Newman, 57 SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ.

2016: I’m a college-educated, white, working American female, and I have found Hillary Clinton’s arrogance since her days in the White House so off-putting that anything and anyone, including Donald Trump, has more appeal.

“If I were in a swing state, I might consider voting for Trump, but not Biden.”

Rhonnie Cough (née Enterline), 32 SACRAMENTO IN 2016 → COLUMBIA, S.C.

2016: He was an outsider. He spoke truth about political correctness. He has great kids who stand by him, which means something to me. And most important, he is not a Clinton. If I weren't in California where my presidential vote doesn't count for much, I might not have voted for him. But, I thought, why not be part of sending a message to Washington?

2020: I will not be voting for Trump, and I won’t be voting for Biden. The last time, when I voted for Trump, I lived in a very blue state. I have since moved, and I now live in a very red state. My vote back then was somewhat symbolic, to send a message, to feel somewhat represented in a state where I rarely felt represented.

If I were in a swing state, I might consider voting for Trump, but not Biden. I don’t support either candidate, but Biden seems unfit to hold the presidency, and he and Kamala Harris want a different America than I do.

“I don’t see either party working to fix … systemic problems. That’s why I’m putting all of my energy behind getting more options for our future.”

Kirsten Johnson, 35 MINNEAPOLIS

2016: I was literally undecided until I went into the voting booth. I was a strong advocate for Gary Johnson for most of the race, but I changed my mind after I saw him at a lackluster rally in town. Then Trump came through, and the energy and passion was astounding. He overflowed an airport hangar with 24 hours’ notice on a Sunday during a Vikings home game. Holy crap. So, in the end, I voted for the economy, against Obamacare and against a corrupt government, just as I was planning to for Johnson. But I also voted for the people, because Trump was the clear choice of the silent majority I eventually became a part of.

“ ‘Hidden’ though we may be, my friends and I are all voting Republican again.”

Diane Maus, 65 SUFFERN, N.Y.

2016: On Tuesday, I voted Republican for only the second time in my life.

The media did the United States a huge disservice in covering this campaign. As I watched, I got the impression that voting was a mere formality. The commentary was all about how Hillary Clinton was set to get down to business once the pesky election was over. It was obvious watching the election returns on several networks that not one of them prepared for the possibility of Donald Trump triumphing. Why was that?

My vote was my only way to say: I am here and I count. I wish President-elect Trump all the best and have hope that Washington will, in the next four years, actually work for all Americans.

2020: Yes, I will be voting for President Trump again. “Hidden” though we may be, my friends and I are all voting Republican again for several reasons. Our retirement accounts flourished under Trump’s economy before the pandemic, and we believe the economy will come back under his leadership once we get past this. Covid-19 was not Trump’s fault. Was the pandemic handled perfectly? No. That being said, no country in the world was prepared for this.

The Biden/Harris ticket makes us all sick and scared for our country. Why would anyone vote for a candidate who thinks his voters do not deserve to know where he stands on an issue, like court-packing? The thought of becoming a socialist society should scare everyone in this country. My friends and I have worked all our adult lives to provide for our families and achieve the American Dream. We see no good reason to support undocumented people. Our grandparents came to this country and went through the process to become citizens and were proud when that citizenship was earned!

“All of the mindless chatter about his tweets and political incorrectness is childish and ridiculous.”

Phil McNeish, 61 ROANOKE, VA.

2016: I am an independent voter who leans slightly to the left. I am a small business owner. I am not an uneducated, deplorable redneck. Donald Trump, despite his imperfections, will be the most left-leaning Republican president of all time. Hillary Clinton would have steered the country further to the extreme left, while Trump will be a good mix of left and right. We, in the middle, are weary of partisan bickering. Trump was our best hope of a president willing to compromise.

“I’m still glad the Clintons are not in the White House, but I will be voting for Biden in November.”

Howard Gaskill, 80 GEORGETOWN, DEL.

2016: I remember the Clintons from back when they tap danced around the Gennifer Flowers story. Then came Whitewater and then Hillary Clinton’s billing records were nowhere to be found, and then there was Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton looked right at me through the TV screen and said “I did not have . . .” The lies never stopped. Then came the Clinton Foundation, foreign donations and the emails. I have 100 percent Clinton Fatigue.

If Bernie Sanders had been on the ballot, I would have voted for him, even though I agree with him on virtually nothing. But he seems to be honest and stands up for his beliefs and not for enriching himself.

2020: I voted for Trump in 2016 for two reasons: He promised to shake up D.C., and I couldn’t stomach the Clintons. I will not vote for Trump in 2020 for more reasons than that.

His shaking up of D.C. does not appear to have followed any logical plan. It seems it was merely the creation of chaos. Some of his ideas are good, as least from my standpoint, but he is incapable of following most of them through to a successful conclusion. For example, after all the wheeling and dealing, China buys some more soybeans and chicken, but continues to build landing strips and naval bases in the international waters of the South China Sea, and has effectively annexed Hong Kong. Russia, Iran, North Korea — all our enemies are giving Trump the finger. Our allies, with the exception of Israel, do not have our back.

At home, the president should be a leader of his nation. Trump always seems to collapse when faced with a crisis. Covid-19? It is what it is. Violent protests in the streets? It’s the fault of the mayors. Constant turnover in his Cabinet? They’re disloyal and incompetent.

Trump is floundering. He did okay in a small pond of NYC, but the big pond of the whole country is more than he and his shifty lawyers can handle.

“President Trump’s foreign policy achievements in four years are impressive and have exceeded that of many two-term presidents.”

Mackenzie Gans, 32 LAS VEGAS

2016: We need to focus less on individually placating all the groups that make American wonderful and more on solving issues related to the economy and foreign adversaries.

Tap-dancing around our national debt, our failure to contain Iran and North Korea, and our long-term unemployed citizens helps no one.

“While I don’t agree with some of his social media statements, his actions speak volumes.”

Helene Berkowitz, 41 HASHMONAIM, WEST BANK

2016: Unlike most Americans, I know how to compartmentalize and separate my personal opinion of both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton and my belief about who is better for the job. I have always said — years before Trump was ever interested in politics — that the country should be run like a business. Meaning the United States should be led by someone who knows how to delegate, and understands complex budgets, negotiation and leadership. That is why I voted for Trump.

I don’t need my president to be nice to everyone and to give them a warm, fuzzy feeling. Get a bathrobe for that. I also don’t have to agree with him on every single opinion or policy. I don’t need to be friends with my president; I need him or her to lead the country, provide solutions for our problems and make a stronger and greater United States.

2020: Yes, I plan on voting for President Trump again. The reason is because he does what he says he’s going to do and unabashedly puts America’s interests first.
He accomplished more in his first 100 days in office than other presidents did in their entire terms.

While I don’t agree with some of his social media statements, his actions speak volumes. His administration has enacted laws and created programs that help put people to work, protect the borders, lower minority unemployment and create fair trade policies.

His administration passed paid parental leave for federal workers, a major benefit that frankly should have happened years ago for all Americans. He moved to the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, something that was promised for decades and never implemented.

“They have not given me any reason to vote for Biden except that Trump is bad. And that’s not enough.”

Shoanna Crowell, 49 BOSTON

2016: I voted for Jill Stein, which my friends all yelled was a vote for Donald Trump. I don't fully disagree. It was clear early on in the Democratic primary contest that the mainstream media discounted Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) even when he was winning states. Then the Democratic National Committee emails came out, and I had proof of what I suspected. The Democrats and the mainstream media had handpicked their candidate and were manipulating us. They felt entitled to shove Hillary Clinton down our throats. I'm glad they didn't get away with it.

Marcos Marte supported Sen. Bernie Sanders in 2016. But after the bitter Democratic primary that left Hillary Clinton as the party’s presidential nominee, the son of Dominican immigrants cast his ballot for Green Party candidate Jill Stein. 

This year, Marte, 27, of Union City, will complete an even longer political journey: He's voting for President Donald Trump, attracted by the Republican Party's "Judeo-Christian" values and the president's economic record before the coronavirus hit. He says he also likes Trump's plans for securing the southern border and restricting illegal immigration. 

“We have to elevate ourselves and I think Donald Trump is the only president that I’ve seen in my adult life that is putting America’s citizens' values front forward," said Marte, who works in the banking industry. "No matter what, we can still get out of where we are and empower ourselves to make our lives better ... He is putting that right in front of us.”  

The UNDECIDED

Well, they are people like Laura Fairbrother of Bridgton, Maine. Asked in a recent interview why she remains undecided in the presidential election, the 53-year-old certified residential medication aide made it clear she isn’t impressed with the options: “It don’t matter who we choose, we’re pretty much screwed either way.”

Fairbrother, who considers herself a political independent, said she’s leaning toward voting for Biden but doesn’t know if she can trust what he says. As for President Trump, she laughed. “He shouldn’t even be the president. This is not a TV show.”

Fairbrother is one of a dozen voters across four battleground states who previously participated in Suffolk University state polls and identified themselves as undecided. The Globe interviewed them in an attempt to understand what goes into not having made up one’s mind this presidential election.

One common trait: at this stage of the game, the undecided voter doesn’t fit into an easy political profile but rather possess a more idiosyncratic worldview.

“Look, at this point, the people who are undecided are a little bit different from everybody else,” said Jeff Horwitt, senior vice president with Hart Research Associates, a Democratic polling firm.

Overall, the universe of undecided voters is small, pollsters say. In the most recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll earlier this month, only 5 percent said they were undecided, said Horwitt, whose firm partners with the GOP pollster Public Opinion Strategies on the regular survey.

When you include voters who indicate they’re open to switching their votes from their current pick, the “up for grabs" group grows a bit bigger, to about 11 percent, he said.

Other common traits among the undecided voters the Globe spoke with include skepticism of politicians generally, and mistrust of the information they’re seeing about the candidates on social media, the news, or from the candidates themselves.

And almost every single one exhibited what GOP pollster Brad Todd called the key to understanding the existence of undecided voters in such a polarizing election: “They view both candidates unfavorably, typically.”

Martha Desilets, a 56-year-old accountant in Tucson, Ariz., declared that she is “decidedly against every option that is presented to me at this point. I’m trying really hard to find the lesser of these evils."

Michael Loewenstein, a still-undecided voter in central Florida, echoed that sentiment: “I am so disappointed that [in] a country as great as this . . . those are the two best choices for president that we could come up with."

Both Desilets in Arizona and Loewenstein in Florida saw things to like about Trump. But also lots to dislike.

“I believe President Trump really does care about American business,” said Desilets, who in 2016 voted for a third-party candidate whose name she’s forgotten. “And about growing the American economy. My main problem with him, is he’s stuck on himself. . . . He has no filter, and in some worlds, that’s a good thing, but in a world where mistrust has been fanned to the extent that it has in this country, that can be a dangerous thing. To not stop and listen to what your words are actually saying is dangerous," she said.

In Florida, Loewenstein — a 71-year-old conservative — voted for Trump in 2016 but believes the president did not handle the coronavirus pandemic as he should have, and that has undercut all the good the president has done elsewhere.

“Leadership-wise, I believe it was a missed opportunity," said Loewenstein, who suffers from lung disease and sees mask-wearing as a sign of respect for others.

Neither of these undecided voters had much good to say about Biden, or Senator Kamala Harris of California, his running mate. Desilets called her “toxic.”

Loewenstein said he didn’t like how Biden picked a No. 2, announcing ahead of time he would choose a Black woman. (Actually, Biden just announced he would pick a woman.) “Rather than saying, ‘I’ve searched for the best possible person, here she is,'” Loewenstein said, adding he believes that Biden “is a racist.”

“Then again,” he continued, "I believe most people are, they just don’t realize it.”

Nick Gawlik has lived in North Carolina for five years but still considers himself a New England Republican. The 30-year-old registered Libertarian found himself leaning toward — but not yet 100 percent convinced about — supporting Biden because of how Trump and Republicans more broadly have handled the coronavirus pandemic.

“Trump just had the coronavirus. Had it humbled him a little bit, I may have been swayed," said Gawlik, a university administrator who praised Trump’s record on China and the economy.

For Danielle Salo of Jacksonville, Fla., Trump’s reaction to getting coronavirus himself pushed her off the fence to Biden.

If Trump had come away from the experience admitting he benefited from treatments and protocols that differ from what most Americans would get, “instead of standing there and ripping off his mask in a show of defiance, I would have gone with him,” said the 45-year-old registered Republican who is retired from the military.

While she believes the media has been “horrible” to Trump and failed to give him credit for good things he’s done, “things like that I just can’t stomach,” said Salo.

As for Biden, she said she isn’t a fan of Harris, whose politics Salo sees as too far left for her more moderate preferences.

“But between the two choices, I think that we need someone who’s going to handle this entire situation,” she said of the pandemic.

In some cases, voters who look undecided on paper turn out to be something else altogether.

T.J. Morgan, an industrial psychologist in South Florida, said she thought for maybe a “micro-minute” she should consider voting for Biden. But when she recently told a pollster she was undecided, it was more hesitancy to admit she planned to vote for Trump.

Like other voters, Morgan expressed dislike of both candidates. Biden is a career politician who has failed on numerous fronts. Morgan said those missteps include her belief that Biden disagreed with the decision to go forward with the mission in which Osama bin Laden was killed.

She doesn’t think Trump is great, either — “Trump is concerned with Trump,” she said — but does believe he’s done well on the economy.

Herman Colvin, 64, of Apex, N.C., made up his mind long ago he would vote for Biden but didn’t want the polls to dissuade the former vice president from courting voters in his swing state.

“I was never undecided about Donald Trump. Never, ever,” said Colvin.