Early Voting in Major Cities Decides Rust Belt Outcome

NYT "Milwaukee, Green Bay, Kenosha Early Voting Largely Reflects for Biden"
Suburban White Women and Elderly Turn Away from Trump

A protest demanding 'Count All Votes' is taking place in Manhattan, New York.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] In the U.S. presidential election, Democratic candidate Joe Biden's victory in key Rust Belt battleground states such as Michigan and Wisconsin was decisively influenced by early voting centered around major cities. These ballots were counted later, allowing Biden, who was trailing President Donald Trump in the early stages of vote counting, to secure a comeback win. Notably, women and elderly residents living in suburban areas with a strong interest in health issues supported Biden, which was also considered a significant factor in his victory.

Biden's overtaking of President Trump was dramatic. According to the Washington Post on the 4th (local time), in Michigan and Wisconsin, Trump led by double digits in the early vote count. However, in Michigan, when 90% of the votes were counted, Biden began to lead Trump by 0.2 percentage points with 49.3% of the vote. In Wisconsin, when 97% of the votes were counted, Biden's share was 49.5%, surpassing Trump's 48.8%.

The New York Times (NYT) explained, "In Wisconsin, early voting results from major cities such as Milwaukee, Green Bay, and Kenosha were heavily reflected."

In particular, racial discrimination issues surfaced in this region in August, bringing Black civil rights issues to the forefront. In the same month, in Kenosha, Black man Jacob Blake was shot by police and paralyzed from the waist down, sparking public outrage. Local media have analyzed that protests following the Blake shooting influenced this election.

White female voters and elderly residents in suburban areas turning away from President Trump also helped Biden. In the 2016 election, these groups played a decisive role in Trump's victory. According to Edison Research, support for Trump among elderly white voters in this area dropped by 3 percentage points compared to the 2016 election. Women and the elderly are highly concerned about health issues. As COVID-19 began to spread again this fall, more voters became disappointed with President Trump's inadequate response. So far, 230,000 people, mainly elderly, have died from COVID-19 in the U.S.

In Arizona, where Biden's chances of winning increased, Latino voters played a role. Trump's anti-immigration policies were negatively received in Arizona, which has many Mexican immigrants. This contrasts sharply with Florida, where Cuban immigrants, who are numerous, supported Trump.

US World News & Report noted that despite Biden's overwhelming early voting support, he was unable to decisively pull ahead of President Trump early on, and if he enters the White House, he will face many challenges to resolve.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.