U.S. Elections 2016: Why Republicans Won

Photo by: Gage Skidmore

Donald Trump’s unexpected win exposed a US political class that had lost touch with its electorate. Democratic and Republican elites remain in shock, but perhaps, his victory was not so surprising after all.

On the eve of the election, a majority of Americans thought the country was on the wrong track and sought a candidate who would light a fire under a listless economy. They felt that American security had diminished in a dangerous world and were uncomfortable with the radical social engineering of the Obamacare health reforms.

Led by a charismatic president who appealed to young people and minority voters, Democrats had also smugly convinced themselves that they were the party of the future, and Republicans, the party of the past. That judgment was, at a minimum, premature.

From January 2017, when newly elected officials take office, four out of every five Americans will live in states dominated or controlled by Republican governors and state legislatures. In Washington, Republicans will control the White House, Senate and House of Representatives. When a new justice is nominated and confirmed, there will be a conservative majority in the Supreme Court.