People across the board are shocked about Donald Trump’s upset victory over Hillary Clinton. The political establishment across the board is shocked at the result, and many are left to wonder what caused this victory. I recently came across an article that discusses one of the biggest factors of Trump’s win, the “undercover Trump voters” who handed him the win.
There was a small but potent force of voters, particularly in swing states, who were quiet about their support of Trump. This wasn’t necessarily due to embarrassment, but more that they were tired of arguing. This is similar to the so-called “shy voters” behind the Brexit vote in the UK earlier this year. These voters came from all sorts of ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, all of whom wanted the country to be taken in a different direction that Hillary Clinton, as well as most establishment Republicans, couldn’t.
The divide between the predicted and actual outcome of yesterday’s election is one for the books, without a doubt. GOP campaign manager Kellyanne Conway pointed out the campaign’s success in Pennsylvania. Although almost every poll revealed Trump losing the state, the campaign recognized that their message would strike a chord with the beliefs of many Pennsylvanians, and devoted a large amount of money and resources to winning the state. This ultimately proved fruitful, with their victory in Pennsylvania putting them over the top.
Thinking of our more conservative relatives who tend to constantly post pro-Trump content on Facebook, the image has emerged of the stereotypical Trump supporter being loud and vocal about their views. While that does certainly characterize a good number of Trump supporters, it doesn’t count for those Americans who are more quiet about their views. If there’s one thing to be learned, I suppose it’s to not rely too heavily on gallup polls.