Welcome to our ‘What Happened?’ series following the 2020 US Presidential election.
Following the 2020 US General Election our mini-series, ‘What Happened?’, explores aspects of elections at the presidential, Senate, House of Representatives and state levels, and also reflects on what the election results will mean for US politics moving forward.
If you are interested in contributing to the series contact Rob Ledger (ledger@em.uni-frankfurt.de) or Peter Finn (p.finn@kingston.ac.uk).
What Happened?: In New Jersey’s election, Democrats maintained control of the state, but redistricting could cause headaches for them in Congress
Last month New Jersey governor Phil Murphy won a second term, the first Democrat to do so in the Garden State for 44 years. […]
What Happened?: COVID-19 will have a lasting impact on the future of US elections
Despite the doubt and difficulty created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the November 2020 general election occurred successfully. More Americans voted in this election cycle […]
What Happened?: In Virginia’s 2021 gubernatorial election, increasing turnout for Republicans showed that campaigns still matter, and politics are still local
Widely believed to be a Democratic-leaning state by many political pundits, this week’s Virginia gubernatorial contest saw electoral victory for Republican Glenn Youngkin. Lauren […]
What Happened?: Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic ensured that he lost, rather than was defeated in, the 2020 election
The 2020 election year presented the Trump administration with a COVID-19 pandemic that it was ill-equipped to deal with, and ultimately intersected with the […]
What Happened?: The 2020 election can’t be understood without considering the role of the COVID-19 pandemic
The 2020 US electoral cycle was truly historic. Along with two presidential candidates at odds with each other over policy, campaign decorum, and their […]
What Happened? In its recent recall election, Republicans underestimated how much California has turned into a one-party state
Last month, residents of the Golden State decided that Gavin Newsom would continue as California’s Democratic Governor following a recall attempt led by state […]
What Happened?: The 2020 election confirmed that Ohio is no longer a swing state.
Once seen as the archetypal swing state, Ohio has voted for the Republican candidate in the last two presidential elections. Kevin Fahey takes a […]
What Happened?: Pennsylvania returned to the Democrats in 2020, but it may not stay that way.
As it was key to Trump’s presidential election victory in 2016, winning Pennsylvania in 2020 helped secure the White House for Joe Biden in […]
What Happened?: Partisan audits and voter suppression laws are Arizona Republicans’ latest tactics to retain power.
Even after the conclusion of the 2020 election, Arizona remains a battleground state. As part of that the fight for the Grand Canyon State, […]
What Happened?: Georgia’s surprise Senate victories have shaped the early Biden presidency, but an uphill battle remains for the Democrats’ agenda.
Last January, against the expectations of many, the Democratic Party won two US Senate run-off elections in Georgia, giving them effective control of the […]
What Happened?: In 2020, Iowa moved from swing state to safe state.
For many years Iowa has been considered a swing state and a bellwether state, indicating the political direction of the country as a whole. […]
What Happened?: ‘Mayor Pete’ Buttigieg has embraced the idea that infrastructure policy can bring about social change.
The position of Secretary of Transportation typically has a much lower profile compared to other US Cabinet positions. But it still has power and […]
“What Happened?’: Taking stock following a historic year for American politics and society
The last year has been like no other in US politics, with the perfect storm of a global pandemic and a concurrent botched federal […]
What Happened?: Florida has already sounded a 2024 warning for Joe Biden
Once thought of as a battleground state, Florida now leans Republican in presidential elections. Kevin Fahey takes a close look at county-by-county results and […]
What Happened?: Biden’s Minnesota win masked the ongoing political realignment in the North Star State
In 2020, Joe Biden won by a larger margin than Hilary Clinton did in the North Star State four years earlier. This victory, Rubrick […]
What Happened?: Arizona turned blue in the 2020 presidential election, but the Republicans still control the state.
Reflecting broader democratic shifts, recent decades have seen big changes in politics in Arizona: moving from deep red Republican domination to a particular shade […]
What Happened?: In 2020, women continued to make strides in representation in Congress and State Legislatures
The 2020 elections saw more women elected to the US House of Representatives than ever, with the new delegation comprising just over 27 percent […]
What Happened?: The narrow parameters of Biden’s Washington are now set, but Trump looms large
With the results of the two run-off elections in Georgia, the framework of Washington during the early stages of Joe Biden’s presidency have been […]
What Happened?: The 2020 election showed that libertarians have a long way to go before they can become a national movement.
In the 2020 presidential election, the Libertarian Party candidate, Jo Jorgensen, gained 1.2 percent of the vote, less than half the party’s 2016 election […]
What Happened?: Five Steps from the Presidential Election to the Electoral College in 2020
In the more than six weeks since the 2020 US presidential election, President Trump and the Republican Party have made a number of ultimately […]
What Happened?: How gender may have influenced support for Trump among African-American and Latinx voters in 2020
Following the 2020 election, there has been some evidence that Donald Trump performed better than polls had predicted among African-American and Latinx voters. Dan […]
What Happened?: Vote by mail worked in 2020. But this was no way to run an election.
The COVID-19 pandemic meant that voting by mail was more important than ever during the 2020 US General Election. Though it generally worked well, Priscilla Southwell argues that […]
‘What Happened?’ Introducing our new series exploring the 2020 elections
On Saturday 7 November, Joe Biden was called as the winner of the 2020 presidential election. But the 2020 election was about more than […]
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