What the 2020 election revealed about changing voter identity 

Political parties — like the voters who form them — are dynamic. And lately, it feels like evolution is speeding up. 

Polls conducted after the 2020 presidential election show that differences between college-educated voters and those without a college education are widening — one of the largest shifts in politics during our lifetimes. Americans who have college degrees overwhelmingly voted for President-elect Joe Biden. Those without them continued to flock toward the Republicans.

But that’s not the only metamorphosis. Both parties are shifting priorities based on the demands of their bases. What do those changes say about how politics works — or doesn’t — in America? And do the changes reflect the voters accurately?

Thursday, MPR News host Kerri Miller spoke with one of our favorite political scientists about the shifts in party and voter identity.

Guest:

• Lilliana Mason is an associate professor of government and politics at the University of Maryland and the author of “Uncivil Agreement: How Politics Became Our Identity.”

To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above.

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