Why the Southeast is up for grabs in the 2020 election

Ronald Brownstein, senior political analyst for CNN Politics, offers a history lesson about swing states and the makeup of the Democratic and Republican electorates over the last century. For the piece, he taps the expertise of Furman University’s Jim Guth, the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Politics and International Affairs.

Citing changes in demographics and an increase in college-educated whites joining the ranks of the Democratic Party in the Southeast, Guth, a Republican activist, still expects President Donald Trump and South Carolina U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham to win out this year, but U.S. Senate challenger Jaime Harrison’s popularity may portend a competitive future for the Palmetto State. “Quite clearly the Republican strategy on doubling down on white working-class non-college-educated voters is reaching its limits. Certainly you see the Republican majorities eroding in the urban areas, especially in bad years,” Guth said.