The 2020 election marked one of the most divisive elections in modern history. When votes were finally cast on November 3, many Democrats were hoping the election would be a referendum on the past four years of Trump’s leadership.
Meanwhile, many Republicans were hoping that the past year of mask mandates and civil unrest would result in the “silent majority” turning out in droves to fuel a red wave of flipping Democratic seats in Congress.
Once again, like in 2016, opinion polling of the elections was far from the truth. While challenger Joe Biden defeated incumbent Donald Trump, like pollsters anticipated, the margins were much slimmer than many expected. What’s more, Democrats somehow lost seats in the House of Representatives despite maintaining their majority, a shocking development for House leadership.
In the Senate, things were narrow enough for a pair of runoff elections in January of 2021 being the deciding factor in a year when Democrats hoped to decisively wrest control of the chamber back from conservatives. The biggest news, of course, was that Donald Trump was unable to secure reelection and engaged in a campaign to paint the election results as fraudulent.
Trump Claims Election Fraud
Donald Trump’s presidency was defined by his unpredictability and his insistence on breaking from governing norms. Early on, the president instituted travel bans, sidestepped Congress to allocate money to a border wall, and used the bully pulpit of his private Twitter account to belittle political opponents.
It’s easy to forget, but in 2016 Trump’s conduct was considered extreme and unusual for a sitting president.
This pattern of bucking the trends of past presidents continued following the 2020 election. Trump, unwilling to concede to his opponent, took to Twitter to allege widespread voter fraud and other illegal activity had fixed the election against him.
Countless legal challenges in states around the country saw Trump’s legal team seeking to have entire counties and even state votes thrown out in favor of Republican legislatures confirming electors.
Joe Biden Promises Healing
Trump’s opponent, Joe Biden, ran on a platform of moderation and healing. The country was as deeply divided in 2020 when it elected Biden as it was in 2016 when it elected Trump, but the two men couldn’t be more different.
Biden is a political mainstay, having served in Washington for decades, and even serving as Vice President under Barrack Obama. The president-elect is a moderate, careful to choose his words so that he doesn’t inflame his opponents.
Despite the insistence of far-right media outlets, Biden is not a puppet of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. He is a moderate, closer in politics to Bill Clinton than to Bernie Sanders, and it is likely this moderate reputation that secured the presidency for him. After four years under the combative, divisive, and extreme President Trump, the nation chose the familiar, moderate calm of Joe Biden.
Some have argued that Biden’s victory was more of an expulsion of Trump than an embrace of Democratic centrism. While polls show Trump’s supporters were highly motivated to reelect Trump, Biden’s voters are often more accurately described as Trump opponents than Biden supporters.
Whatever the reason, the United States chose a moderate politician who promises to be a healing force as the nation exits a dark year of civil unrest and a global pandemic.
