Blue-collar voters made a major shift from the Democratic Party to the GOP under former President Donald Trump, including those from Hispanic and black demographics.
The percentage of blue-collar voters who associate themselves with the Republican Party has grown 12 points over the last decade, an NBC News poll found. During that same time frame, the number of blue-collar voters calling themselves Democrats declined by 8 points.
The shift holds true across demographic lines, with more Hispanic and black blue-collar people identifying with the GOP. They have traditionally been hard for the Republican Party to reach. Between 2010 and 2020, Hispanic blue-collar voters indicating support for the GOP went from 23% to 36%, a 13-point swing. Support for the GOP among black blue-collar voters grew 7 points during the same time frame, from 5% in 2010 to 12% in 2020.
The percentage of white blue-collar voters who align with the GOP makes up a majority of the demographic, with 57% of all blue-collar voters indicating their support for the Republican Party.
THE TRUMP-ERA REALIGNMENT IS A DEATH SENTENCE FOR THE GOP
The pollsters noted that the majority of the blue-collar shift to the GOP happened during Trump’s presidency, which could have broad policy implications for the party as it moves into a post-Trump era.
That shift could be seen in the Republican support for Trump’s proposal to increase COVID-19 relief payments to $2,000, a larger government payout not typically associated with the GOP. Some analysts have speculated that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s resistance to the checks, a more traditional Republican position, could have cost the party both of last month’s Georgia Senate runoff elections.
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“People who work for a living, work hard — they don’t see this money as government dependence,” said Robert Cahaly, Trafalgar Group’s chief pollster. “They see it as a one-time thing because the government told them not to go to work. And they don’t understand why McConnell blocked it. They just don’t get it.”
