Political role of the white working class in the politics of the United States  

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According to Thomas B. Edsall, an experienced political commentator, the white working class, defined as non-Hispanic whites who have not completed college, plays a pivotal role in the politics of the United States. This segment of the electorate is large and volatile and its role as swing voters closely tracks the success or failure of Democratic candidates. Selection of Democratic candidates who can relate to the white working class has been difficult; a number of candidates who had support among college-educated Democrats failed to garner sufficient support among white working-class voters to win elections.

This segment of the electorate was solidly Democratic during the New Deal but its support of Democratic candidates has steadily eroded to about 50%. It is also diminishing as a portion of the electorate, both due to increased educational opportunities and to an increased minority population.

A further refinement by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt which defines the white working class as "whites without college who are working" is useful for political analysis.

See Reagan Democrats for the segment of the white working class which forms part of the Republican base of support.

The political role of the white working class was re-examined during the 2016 United States presidential election, due to the strong support for Donald Trump by white working class voters. Trump's victory was in part credited to this support in swing states such as Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, that had previously been won by his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama. Professional pollsters did not predict such a large swing for Trump among the white working class. According to Nate Cohn, the gains that Trump's opponent Hillary Clinton made among other voter classes "were overwhelmed by Mr. Trump’s huge appeal to white voters without a degree."

Voter turnout among white voters who did not have a college degree had increased by 3 percent from 2012 to 2016. This is in spite of the voter composition composition of white voters who did not have a college degree decreasing by 1 percent from 2012 to 2016. Florida saw an even larger increase, with voter turnout among white voters without a college degree increased almost 7 percent from 2012 to 2016. In North Carolina, voter turnout in 2016 by this demographic increased more than 4 percent compared to 2012.

Some have stated that Trump's brand of conservative populism has target the loyalty of white working class voters, saying that the demographic will support him despite claims that Trump's policies have threatened their jobs.

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