Initial rounds of CNN exit polls for the 2020 election reveal a slew of data points that aren’t great news for Donald Trump and his campaign. The Trump campaign’s base frequently hinges on voters who are white, male, and don’t have a college degree (or some combination of those attributes) — and in CNN’s exit polling, the share of voters who are white and the share of voters who do not have a college degree both sunk slightly compared with 2016. During the 2016 election, CNN exit polling showed white voters at 71 percent of the electorate; this time, they make up about two-thirds of voters. Meanwhile, in 2016, voters without a college degree made up 60 percent of the electorate, according to CNN’s polling — and this time, they make up about 55 percent of voters.
In 2016, Trump ended up winning by very thin margins in a handful of critical states. Slight shifts in the make-up of the electorate can make all the difference for who wins the presidency.
There’s a more stark warning sign for the Trump campaign among exit poll results measuring voters’ opinions on a slew of critical issues. According to CNN, among exit poll respondents, “a narrow majority say that the nation’s priority now should be containing the coronavirus over rebuilding the economy.” Donald Trump and his administration have clearly established themselves as committed more to aims like rebuilding the economy than combating the Coronavirus pandemic. During a recent television appearance, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows made it clear: he told the host that “we’re not going to control the pandemic” — although other areas of the world have made obvious progress on that crucial front.
In the CNN exit polls, voters were also rather united against the Trump camp’s position on a key issue: mask-wearing. Face masks are a key frontline tool that can help stem the spread of the Coronavirus and thus keep people from dying. Nevertheless, the president has turned wearing masks into a political issue, and he has frequently mocked their usage. Meanwhile, “nearly 7 in 10 voters say they view wearing a face mask as a public health responsibility more than as a personal choice,” according to CNN’s initial exit polling. Notably, there’s a clear partisan split on Coronavirus-related issues, with Trump’s voters backing his perspectives. Only about 5 percent of Trump voters named the Coronavirus as their top issue, but about 3 in 10 Biden supporters did so.
