As the last states rolled in their final votes Wednesday morning, a mix of excitement and shock rippled through the country as Donald Trump became president-elect.
Pollsters like M-S-U political science professor Matt Grossman predicted a lower turnout in certain parts of the country. “We were speculating turnout might be down because people disliked both candidates,” Grossmann said. “And that was true among African Americans and people in urban areas which was somewhat expected, but turned out to be bigger than we thought.” But many pollsters didn’t count what many are calling the ‘secret’ vote.
“There was some real persuasion and turnout for whites with lower education who were in rural areas and came out to support Donald Trump, even though those same areas previously supported Barack Obama,” Grossmann said.
Hillary supporters felt strongly about their chances of winning the election, but researchers say that many may not have been ready for a ‘Madame President’.