When Democrats started to lose working-class voters

Plus: Melania Trump and abortion |

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By Made by History / Produced by Olivia B. Waxman Former President Trump's victory in Tuesday’s election has prompted widespread analysis and discussion of how he won. Lingering concerns about post-pandemic inflation and the unpopularity of the Biden Administration may be factors, along with enthusiasm for Trump’s messages. But, as Henry M. J. Tonks writes for Made by History, another factor to consider might be the history how the Democratic Party has changed over the last 50 years.  Since the Vietnam War era, the party has increasingly sought to appeal to white-collar, highly educated Americans, many of whom work in knowledge-economy sectors like tech and finance. One consequence of this realignment has been the professionalization of electoral campaigns and the courting of major donors. Another has been the increasing chasing of votes in affluent and middle-class suburbs, priorities that may have cost them support among other constituencies. The fragility of the coalitions produced by this strategy has made it more difficult to enact more durable policies—and may be a factor in the results of the 2024 election.

HISTORY ON TIME.COM Legacies of Slavery Across the Americas Still Shape Our Politics By Ana Lucia Araujo / Made by History Slavery shaped societies throughout the Americas. That matters in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Read More » The 1994 Campaign that Anticipated Trump’s Immigration Stance By Eladio B. Bobadilla / Made by History In 1994, nativists vilified immigrants—and won. Thirty years later, will that playbook work again? Read More » The Kamala Harris ‘Opportunity Agenda for Black Men’ Might Be Good Politics, But History Reveals It Has Flaws By Ben Zdencanovic / Made by History A century of liberal proposals have failed to curb racialized poverty, because they've been focused on the wrong thing. Read More » Florida’s History Shows That Crossing Voters on Abortion Has Consequences By Allison Mashell Mitchell / Made by History A Florida governor learned the hard way the political limits of an anti-abortion platform. Read More » What Melania Trump’s Decision to Speak Out on Abortion Says About the GOP By Elizabeth Rees / Made by History A changing party can create space for a Republican First Lady to support abortion rights. Read More » Why People Should Stop Comparing the U.S. to Weimar Germany By Christine Adams / Made by History Those who draw a line from today to that infamous historical moment when democracy slid into authoritarianism are missing a key difference. Read More » Kamala Harris Is Dressing for the Presidency By Camille Davis / Made by History Her cravat-inspired blouses link her to the founding era. Read More »

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FROM THE TIME VAULT This week in 1980: Ronald Reagan (L) and Jimmy Carter SHELLY KATZ; CARTER BY ARTHUR GRACE; ANDERSON BY NEIL LEIFER. The Nov. 3, 1980, cover of TIME “Whatever other complaints the 1980 American voter may have (and there are many), he cannot complain that he has been confronted with Tweedledum and Tweedledee…Perhaps the greatest failing of Carter and Reagan during this drawn-out campaign is that they have not been able to persuade Americans of their competence to occupy the presidency. In addition, they have been unable to describe the differences between themselves with enough clarity so that Americans would choose their future on Nov. 4 with enthusiasm and a confidence that they knew what lay ahead.” Read More » This week in 2000: George W. Bush (L) and Al Gore BROOKS KRAFT (BUSH) / CORBIS SYGMA; DIANA WALKER (GORE)` The Nov. 6, 2000, cover of TIME “For an electorate caught in times of harrowing change--when the day starts with a choice of 15 kinds of coffee and five ways to get your e-mail, and your kids have more homework in grade school than you had in college, and you sometimes feel grateful for traffic jams just because they give you time to think--the last thing we want from politics is more uncertainty. And for voters who don't want any more change, these two clever, complicated candidates have made it hard even to guess which one is more likely to deliver it.” Read More » This week in 2013: Then-prince Charles Nadav Kander for TIME The Nov. 4, 2013 cover of TIME features a portrait of Prince Charles taken at Birkhall, his private residence. “The Prince's own popularity is questionable. Sheltered by his position and exposed by it, the Prince appears a mass of contradictions, engaged yet aloof, indulged and deprived, a radical at the pinnacle of Britain's sclerotic establishment, surrounded by people but often profoundly alone. The strangulated diction of the uppermost crust--even members of his inner circle can't resist imitating him--disguises a real magnetism. He's witty. Dancing with him, says his old friend, actress Emma Thompson, is ‘better than sex.’” Read More »

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