Why suburbs are key for the 2020 election

Event Details

When

April 21, 2020

2:00 PM to 2:45 PM

“Both parties know that the path to the White House is paved through the suburbs,” Jonathan Capehart wrote in the Washington Post. “What they don’t recognize fully, especially some Democrats, is that those suburbs are no longer synonymous with white upper-middle-class voters. They look more like America.”

He’s right: As we highlight in our new project aimed at understanding the new suburban majority, suburbanites now make up half of all voters, and there are more voters of color in the suburbs than in cities.

For insight on these new demographics in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, Third Way's Lanae Erickson talks with Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart and Dan Sena, who led the DCCC during the ’18 cycle.

Key Takeaways:

• “Gentrification is pushing people of color to the suburbs,” said Capehart, noting the suburbs are more diverse than ever as people are forced further away from urban centers due to housing costs and affordability.

• There are a lot of swing voters in the suburbs. Dan Sena said suburbanites have unique cross-pressures that translate to the ballot box, pressures that include health care, quality of schools, access to social security, and the financial mobility to own a home.

• “The role of government has fundamentally changed—and what people expect from their government has fundamentally changed.” Suburban voters will continue to feel the effects of the coronavirus with mortgage payments and throttled economic opportunity, and they’ll turn to the government for help. Post-COVID, we’ll also see a shift in candidates drawing upon their political expertise to demonstrate the leadership needed to guide us out of the pandemic. “If Dems don’t have clear, concise, and stable answers on the economy—on how we’re going to jump-start things and move forward—it only amplifies Trump’s tools,” said Sena.

• So how should candidates appeal to voters in the suburbs? “Focusing on a record of service, on health care, and providing a clear narrative on how you’ll keep the economy moving,” Sena says. “Make sure voters feel seen,” Capehart concluded. “It’s the authenticity in the end that ends up being the key ingredient for victory.”