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Where did Trump make election gains? Unemployment data tells a surprising story
NBC NewsIn an election year when the unemployment rate in the U.S. soared to its highest level since the Great Depression and was compared to a natural disaster, a terrorist attack and a financial shock all at once, many voters across the country — even in states with the biggest economic fallout — cast their ballot for President Donald Trump.
An NBC News analysis of unemployment and voting data found that the president’s share of the vote held steady or increased in each of the 20 counties with the highest rise in unemployment from September 2019 to September 2020. And his vote share improved by 1 percentage point or more in 70 of the 100 hardest-hit counties.
The data shows the trend was apparent nationwide, from Latino communities in southern Texas and Florida, to counties in California, Connecticut and even Hawaii, where the unemployment rate reached nearly 24 percent.
Across the country, unemployment claims shot up to historic levels in 2020 as businesses were forced to shutter to help contain the coronavirus outbreak. California was the first to issue a stay-at-home order during the pandemic, and saw 7.8 million unemployment applications filed during the 23-week span.
An NBC News analysis of unemployment and voting data found that the president’s share of the vote held steady or increased in each of the 20 counties with the highest rise in unemployment from September 2019 to September 2020. And his vote share improved by 1 percentage point or more in 70 of the 100 hardest-hit counties.
The data shows the trend was apparent nationwide, from Latino communities in southern Texas and Florida, to counties in California, Connecticut and even Hawaii, where the unemployment rate reached nearly 24 percent.
Across the country, unemployment claims shot up to historic levels in 2020 as businesses were forced to shutter to help contain the coronavirus outbreak. California was the first to issue a stay-at-home order during the pandemic, and saw 7.8 million unemployment applications filed during the 23-week span.
