Political experts analyze the 2024 General Election’s ’red wave’

WILKES-BARRE — Veteran political consultant Ed Mitchell on Wednesday put the 2024 General Election results in perspective.

“Democrats got our ass kicked,” Mitchell said. “Trump is a unique political phenomenon. Historians, political scientists and maybe even psychologists will be trying to figure out for decades the attraction of many Americans to him. It’s above my pay grade.”

Mitchell said Donald Trump’s victory sends a clear signal that Democrats have to listen more closely to voters.

“When they tell us the country is on the wrong track, we can’t just spout improving economic numbers,” Mitchell said. “This voter concern should’ve been addressed by the Biden-Harris administration. You don’t all of a sudden recognize it now and offer to solve it later. Incredibly, it allowed Trump — a former incumbent president — to portray himself as an agent of change. And change is what voters are looking for.”

Mitchell said Democrats have to get back to party building.

“We have to build neighborhood communities that communicate our values and solutions and seek out how people feel year round, not just a month before an election,” Mitchell said. “Politics is cyclable. If Democrats pay attention, draw on the strengths of our popular governor and key local officials like legislators and mayors, we can bounce back as soon as next year by perhaps winning control of County Council.”

Political science professors offer their take

Jeff Brauer, political science professor at Keystone College, said Tuesday’s results show that it was a true red wave across the country.

“Joy generally doesn’t win elections — toughness does, and did, in 2024,” Brauer said. “Inflation was the issue that elites, especially on the left, continued not to understand. Inflation is devastating to average working folks. People voted their pocketbooks loud and clear — 2016 was a fluke, 2024 was not.”

Brauer said the average American also doesn’t understand that deflation generally doesn’t happen and Trump’s America First and tariff policies will only make inflation worse.

“The big demographic story is Latinos — especially men,” Brauer said. “They continue to move more and more Republican. They swung the election to Trump throughout the country. And as I have been saying for years based on research, with few paying attention, Generation Z, especially men, are more conservative than past younger generations and will not be afraid to vote Republican.”

Brauer said Vice President Kamala Harris generally ran a great campaign.

“Although that no longer seems to matter much in this age of social media and misinformation,” Brauer said. “However, the Walz pick was a grave mistake. He added very little to a campaign that needed a big boost in the swing states. PA Gov. Josh Shapiro would have given such a boost.”

Brauer said the 2024 election says a lot about where Americans are today.

“They elected a convicted felon, twice impeached president — in a country where no one is supposed to be above the law,” Brauer said. “The most dramatic change under another Trump presidency will be with foreign policy — an area most Americans don’t understand or care about. America’s leadership role in the world, especially with democracy, freedom and rights, will, at least temporarily, be seriously questioned — by allies and adversaries alike — and greatly diminished.”

Ben Toll, Wilkes University

Toll said the depth of this victory for Trump and Republicans is surprising to many people. In the past, he said voters have been supportive of Trump, but not all other Republicans.

“This year was a clean sweep across the board,” Toll said. “In general, it highlights that voters are much more interested in tangible things like their grocery bill than in ephemeral concepts like democracy. The messaging strategy of whether we are better off than we were four years ago worked. The Harris campaign not having much difference between themselves and an unpopular president is going to be important moving forward.”

In general, Toll said this election should cause major concerns and discussion with the Democrats.

“They can’t keep making broad arguments if their policies are not connecting with voters,” Toll said. “Simply put, this will be a lower turnout election, but it should cause massive discussion within Democratic circles. Trump and the GOP gained ground everywhere and with every group. This was not a story of picking up votes from one group disproportionately. It was a thorough beating across the board.”

Christopher Borick, Muhlenburg College Institute of Public Opinion

Borick said Trump’s victory certainly establishes that 2016 was not some outlier and that Trump has largely reordered politics in the United States.

“His victory also further elevates Pennsylvania as the premier swing state heading into 2028,” Borick said. “It was an exceptionally good night for Republicans in Pennsylvania and beyond. They largely ran the table in competitive races in Pennsylvania and have created a fertile environment for Trump to move his agenda forward in 2025.”

As for the Democratic Party, Borick said it is soul searching time.

“Can they be a party centered on higher educated voters with diminished standing among working class voters across racial and ethnic divides?” he asked. “I think they will have great opportunities for a rebound in 2026, but they have to spend time working on improving their brand.”

Speaking to what were the determining factors in the 2024 election, Borick said it starts with the cycle.

“It’s really hard to maintain control of power when the incumbent president leaving office is unpopular, and voters see the country headed in the wrong direction,” Borick said. “Harris had a headwind to cut through, and while I think she ran a strong campaign, it was clearly not enough.”