Voter Sentiment in the Face of Political Promises

Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a compelling and high-minded campaign pitch, emphasizing that if she were to be elected to the White House, she would be a steadfast protector of the nation’s foundational ideals. She presented voters with a critical choice: to embrace democracy, constitutional rights, and fundamental freedoms, or to succumb to the “chaos and division” embodied by Donald J. Trump.

However, on Tuesday, the nation responded. A significant portion of the electorate seemed to wave off the warnings regarding Mr. Trump as a potential threat to the principles upon which the country was established. Voters indicated that abstract truths held less weight than pressing, tangible issues, such as the rising costs of living and concerns surrounding immigration. In an era marked by widespread distrust in institutions, Ms. Harris’s passionate call to uphold the nation’s norms resonated as empty rhetoric for many Americans.

In a series of over 200 interviews conducted across the country in the four days leading up to the election, voters—particularly those in swing states—discussed their concerns not in terms of endangered democracy or institutions but rather in the context of their diminished prospects. Their sentiments reflected the findings of numerous pre-election polls indicating that majorities of Americans felt the country was on the wrong track, despite improvements such as the easing of the pandemic, declining inflation rates, and historically low crime and unemployment figures.

• Mary Chastain, a 74-year-old retiree living on a fixed income in Waleska, Georgia, expressed her frustrations succinctly: “Electric, water, groceries, my dues for where I live. Everything has gone up.” Her concerns about the rising costs ultimately led her to vote for Mr. Trump.
• Idelle Halona, a 51-year-old voter from Phoenix, echoed this sentiment as she stood in line to cast her ballot for Mr. Trump. “Something has to change,” she insisted. Over the past two years, she explained, her rent had nearly doubled, and soaring mortgage rates had pushed homeownership out of reach. “I have wealthy friends, and I have friends who are living paycheck to paycheck. Everybody’s hurting. Everybody.”