Hix and Munger examine the surprises of this historic election and what paved the way for Donald Trump's comeback. They zoom in on public opinion polls, the uniform swing vote, the influence of inflation on voters' choices, and social media – including the role of Elon Musk. They also delve into what went wrong for Kamala Harris, and the need for the Democratic Party to reconnect with parts of its electorate.
The new #EUIUpFront conversation series brings together EUI scholars to discuss the hottest topics of our time, from diverse angles, perspectives, and disciplines.
Simon Hix is Professor and Stein Rokkan Chair in Comparative Politics at the EUI Department of Political and Social Sciences. His research interests include comparative political behaviour and institutions – in particular political parties and party systems, public opinion and voting behaviour, electoral system design, and legislative behaviour.
Kevin Munger is Assistant Professor and Chair of Computational Social Science in the EUI Department of Political and Social Sciences. He uses computational and experimental methods to study the implications of the internet and social media for the communication of political information. Read the article by Kevin Munger and James Bisbee (Vanderbilt University, USA) 'The vibes are off: did Elon Musk push academics off Twitter?'.