From the Iowa Caucuses to the White House: Understanding Donald Trump’s 2016 Electoral Victory in Iowa

Description

Donald Trump won a significant victory in Iowa in 2016. Although Iowa was carried by Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, Trump won the popular vote in 93 of its 99 counties, 32 of which were carried by Obama in 2012. What explains this significant victory, in which a third of Iowa’s counties were flipped? Through a mixed-methods approach, this volume demonstrates that Trump’s electoral victory was shaped by three key factors: firstly, the electorate’s desire for “change” in Washington, D.C.; secondly, Trump’s successful appeals to both the Republican base and white, working-class voters who had previously supported Barack Obama; and thirdly, Iowa’s conservative ideological tendency regarding immigration and race. While contributing to emerging literature on the 2016 presidential elections, this book also serves to aid educators with a published resource on Iowa's electoral politics. Front Matter ....Pages i-xvii The 2016 Election in Iowa: An Introduction (Andrew D. Green)....Pages 1-17 Viewing the 2016 Presidential Campaign Through the Lens of Iowa Political Elites (Andrew D. Green)....Pages 19-55 Building a Winning Coalition: Understanding County-Level Support for Donald Trump in the 2016 Election (Andrew D. Green)....Pages 57-90 Explaining Vote Choice in 2016: How the Attitudinal Characteristics of Iowans Shaped the Vote for Donald Trump (Andrew D. Green)....Pages 91-119 How Does 2016 Inform 2020 in Iowa? (Andrew D. Green)....Pages 121-136 Back Matter ....Pages 137-144