The Suburban Backlash Against the GOP Is Growing

[applegrove]

The Suburban Backlash Against the GOP Is Growing

Donald Trump’s strategy of revving up his rural base may not be worth the cost.

RONALD BROWNSTEIN at the Atlantic

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/11/republican-party-suburbs-kentucky-virginia/601504/?utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=the-atlantic&utm_term=2019-11-06T22%3A32%3A46&utm_medium=social&utm_content=edit-promo

"SNIP....

The shift of metro areas away from the Republican Party under President Donald Trump rumbled on in yesterday’s elections, threatening the fundamental calculation of his 2020 reelection plan.

Amid all the various local factors that shaped GOP losses—from Kentucky to Virginia, from suburban Philadelphia to Wichita, Kansas—the clearest pattern was a continuing erosion of the party’s position in the largest metropolitan areas. Across the highest-profile races, Democrats benefited from two trends favoring them in metro areas: high turnout in urban cores that have long been the party’s strongholds, and improved performance in white-collar suburban areas that previously leaned Republican.

“When Trump was elected, there was an initial rejection of him in the suburbs,” says Jesse Ferguson, a Virginia-based Democratic strategist. “We are now seeing a full-on realignment.”

In that way, the GOP’s losses again raised the stakes for Republicans heading into 2020. In both message and agenda, Trump has reoriented the Republican Party toward the priorities and grievances of non-college-educated, evangelical, and nonurban white voters. His campaign has already signaled that it will focus its 2020 efforts primarily on turning out more working-class and rural white voters who did not participate in 2016.

.....SNIP"

[SWBTATTReg]

1. Demographics seem to be working against the repugs here...

What else is left of all of those working class and rural white voters that did not turn out in the 2016 elections? These rump voters already had flooded the 2016 elections, emptying the rural areas of any remaining rump voters. Where else are they going to get more voters? The dislike of rump is turning away voters in the suburban areas and the urban areas are already strongholds of democratically leaning voters. What are they going to do, bring in Russian voters etc.?

[Garrett78]

3. Voter suppression and foreign interference. Trump can't win a fair fight. And the GOP knows it.

[Hekate]

2. DT puts on these Klan rallies and doesn't even bother to pretend they're not

Other than the disgust factor, what is turning off suburbanites who previously voted for him?

[applegrove]

4. It tickles to be connected to everyone you meet in your daily activities

as opposed to hating half of them. Being part of a cult does not feel good. Suburbanites have figured that out at last.

[Kurt V.]

5. it must be the kitchen table issues.