Harris’ campaign hoped to build on the base that helped propel Biden to victory in 2020 by winning key Democratic districts of black, Hispanic and young voters, as well as making additional gains among college-educated suburban voters.
But it underperformed with these key electoral blocs. According to the exit polls, which can change as votes are counted, she lost 13 points with Hispanics, two with blacks and six with voters under 30, but those are considered representative of trends.
Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, who lost the 2016 Democratic presidential election to Hillary Clinton and the 2020 primary to Biden, said in a statement that it was “no surprise” that working-class voters were leaving the party.
“First it was the white working class, and now it’s also Latinos and black workers. While the Democratic leadership is protecting the status quo, the American people are angry and want change,” he said. – And they are right.
Although women overwhelmingly supported Harris over Trump, the vice president’s lead fell short of the margins her campaign had hoped would deliver her historic nomination. And she failed to realize her ambitions to win over suburban Republicans, losing 53% of white women.
In the first presidential election since the Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to abortion, Democrats hoped her focus on the fight for reproductive rights would deliver a decisive victory.
While about 54% of female voters cast their ballots for Harris, that fell short of the 57% who supported Biden in 2020, according to exit polls.
