The Bitter End: The 2020 Presidential Campaign and the Challenge to American Democracy

Political scientists Sides (Vanderbilt Univ.), Chris Tausanovitch (UCLA), and Lynn Vavreck (UCLA) dive into the 2020 presidential campaign and how the increases in partisan divide led to the U.S. Capitol insurrection on January 6, 2021. The authors first explore the increase in partisan loyalties after Donald Trump’s election to the presidency in 2016, contending that the social and ideological divide between the parties and party loyalists intensified throughout his four years in office. Going into the campaign, the Trump administration was dealing with a pandemic, impeachment and other scandals, and an economic recession. Despite strong support for Trump in his party, these small changes helped turn the tide toward Joe Biden’s victory in the election. The authors explore the political nuances behind this campaign cycle and electorate, while exploring how these trends may impact future elections, arguing that the country’s inability to come together over national issues, such as the murder of George Floyd and the U.S. Capitol riot, served to reinforce divisions that will have trickle effects on the 2022 midterm elections and the 2024 presidential election.