With just days before the general election, polls show an incredibly tight presidential race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. And in case you thought you could predict who would win … think again.
“The polls are but motivation right now. Stop reading them. The die is not cast in this race,” said Erin O’Brien, professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Boston. “In Massachusetts, a lot of voters feel like, ‘My vote doesn’t matter so much here.’ Well, it does matter if you contact individuals in swing states.”
There are several factors in flux leading up to Election Day, including early voting, which has seen an increase among Republicans in swing states. Latino voters may also be more motivated to head to the polls after comments from comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally, at which Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage.”
“The reason why it reverberated so quickly was because famous Puerto Ricans — Ricky Martin, Luis Fonsi, Jennifer Lopez, Daddy Yankee — immediately responded,” said Luis Jiménez, associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
Jiménez added that because those stars are not usually outwardly political, their audiences and fans may take more notice when they do address politics.
Meanwhile, some voters in Michigan and Wisconsin are being targeted by robocalls in favor of Green Party candidate Jill Stein — calls that are backed by a Republican-linked super PAC. O’Brien called that “a dirty trick,” but nothing new to politics.
“They’re trying to affect the election outcome,” she said.
As the campaign trail draws to a close, both candidates have released new advertisements focusing on niche audiences. The Trump campaign has doubled down on its anti-trans rhetoric, while Harris’ team is focused on an economic message reaching working-class people in states like Pennsylvania.
Jerold Duquette, professor of political science and director of the Public Policy and Management Concentration at Central Connecticut State University, questioned the efficacy of these ads, particularly the one in support of Harris.
“The economic populism — that’s an old-fashioned Democratic commercial,” Duquette said. “And frankly, it probably doesn’t resonate as well as the cultural one, because frankly, economic arguments have less punch than cultural arguments do.”
As Election Day looms, Jiménez, Duquette and O’Brien shared their words of wisdom:
“Remain calm. Get out and vote,” Duquette said.
“Contact people who are unlikely voters, hesitant voters. That requires getting out of your comfort zone,” O’Brien said.
“There’s a lot of misinformation out there. Do not just trust it blindly,” Jimenez said.
All this and more on this week’s hourlong all-politics episode of Under the Radar with Callie Crossley.
GUESTS
- Luis Jiménez, associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Boston
- Erin O’Brien, professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Boston
- Jerold Duquette, professor of political science and director of the Public Policy and Management Concentration at Central Connecticut State University
