Mr. Jon Decker, White House correspondent for Fox News Radio was our guest speaker at the seminar we held on the upcoming US elections on November 25th at the IE School of Public Affairs.
During the seminar, Decker reviewed the electoral process as well as Donald Trump’s presidency. As it was proved in 2016 elections, “the popular vote does not determine the next President in the US. For example, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by 3 million votes in 2016”, recalled Decker.
To become President of the US it is necessary to have more than 270 electoral votes. In the last elections, 304 electoral votes were registered for the Republican Party and 227 for the Democratic Party, representing an “overwhelming victory” for the current President.
Regardless of who the candidate elected by the Democrats will be, if the presidential election had taken place on the same day of our event, Decker estimated the following electoral result: 232 votes would go to the Democratic party while 260 votes would go to the Republican party. “However, it will not be easy for President Donald Trump. There are three states that will determine who will be the next President: Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin”, said Decker.
These states, traditionally won by the Democratic party, surprised many political experts in 2016 when they went to the Republican Party. They represent 20, 16 and 10 electoral votes respectively. Current polling reflects that the President has lost strength in these states and the Democratic party is ready to fully recover them. Decker referred to the celebration of the National Convention in Wisconsin as one of the most significant measures the Democratic party has taken to this effect.
Decker stated that many Republican voters maintain their favorable opinion towards Trump because the President “keeps or at least tries to keep his electoral promises”. According to Decker, when asked what they like most about their President, the majority refer to the changes he has made in Washington, his attitude towards immigration and the position he has taken toward China.
The event concluded with questions from the public about the impeachment process, which according to Decker, “will not change the dynamics because it does not seem that any Republican will vote to remove the President.”
“There are challenges for both parties and obviously the presidential elections will be very, very close”, affirmed Decker.
