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Balance
The Monitor's View

Voter nostalgia for harmony, balance

Exit polls in the U.S. election hint at a strong desire for a balanced economy and civic peace. 

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A woman entertains her son as a man fills out a ballot on Election Day in Hazelwood, Mo.
  • By the Monitor's Editorial Board

America’s presidential elections are a great survey of public opinion as well as a call to action. Yet while Donald Trump won both the popular vote and the Electoral College on Nov. 5, it could be that the exit polls will drive the course of his second term.

The theme of those polls? Americans seek a restoration of past norms of balance or harmony – balance in the economy for Trump supporters and, for those who voted for Kamala Harris, harmony in democratic norms.

Among the third of voters who identified the economy as their primary concern, 79% chose Mr. Trump, according to Edison Research’s exit polls. More specifically, 73% who see inflation as a severe hardship voted for the Republican candidate. They want to bring prices back to prepandemic levels and lower their higher cost of living.

For those who chose Ms. Harris, a majority are worried far more about the state of democracy than about the economy. They seek the civility and rule of law that were more common before Mr. Trump’s first term.

The president-elect thanked “the American people” for his victory and added, “We’re going to help our country heal.” That sentiment, if followed, would be a step toward those desires for balance and harmony.

That rare upbeat and unifying message pointed to another aspect of the exit polls: About 6 in 10 voters say the country’s best days are ahead.

In 11 key states, inflation dominated the concerns of voters. While the rate of price increases is now low – about 2% – the persistence of high prices from gasoline to housing drove many people to vote for the GOP candidate. Credit card debt, for example, was at a historic high in August as inflated prices have pushed people to charge more when buying everyday items.

“With inflation and two wars raging abroad, many voters fondly recalled a pre-pandemic world that was mostly at peace and economically prosperous under Trump,” wrote journalist Michael Hirsh in Foreign Policy.

Many economists say Mr. Trump’s proposed policies, such as tariffs on imported goods, could increase inflation. The exit polls offer the opportunity to temper his agenda and acknowledge the desire of nearly half the voters to restore democratic norms. Merely offering to help the country heal was a first step.

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