FTI Consulting US Presidential Election Exit Polls
The US Presidential election was a long, drawn-out campaign that resulted in incumbent President Donald Trump running a competitive race on the results he delivered during his tenure against former Vice-President Joe Biden who focused on uniting a nation during a pandemic with steady leadership. Both candidates generated more votes than any other winning presidential ticket in the history of the United States. Ultimately, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were able to appeal to independents, suburban voters, and turn out the enthusiastic Democratic base in key battleground states to be projected the winners of the election (as of the writing of this post).
FTI’s Digital & Insights team assessed the publicly available exit polls to understand how Joe Biden was able to edge out President Trump overall and in key battleground states. Unlike the 2016 election, Biden was able to have more broad appeal among voters who supported President Trump like white college-educated men and carve into Trump’s solid margins among rural voters and seniors. President Trump was able to remain competitive because he built onto his coalition by gaining support among white women and people of color. The resulting vote totals underscored a polarized electorate that was enthusiastic about supporting both of their candidates.
