US election 2020
Joe Biden has won the election, but not on the blue wave the Democrats hoped would sweep him to power. Instead, the president-elect will preside over a nation that is bitterly – and almost equally – divided.
Strikingly, millions more Americans backed Trump this time than in 2016, despite the pandemic claiming nearly a quarter of a million lives, and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
How has this happened?
openDemocracy has spoken to countless voters across the US, as well as experts, organisers and candidates to find out.
US election podcast: Can Biden deliver?
On the road across middle America, voters told us they want the country to heal. But is this even possible?
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Published in:50.50These are the women of colour who took down Trump
States like Georgia don’t flip themselves. Meet some of the women whose grassroots organising enabled the Democratic victory.
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Published in:Can Europe Make It?Populism in the US election: an interview with John B. JudisWhat are the key ideologies and actors which prompted Trump’s defeat? The acclaimed author and journalist shares his...
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Published in:HomeWhat a Biden presidency means for the rest of the worldThe president-elect has told foreign leaders: ‘America is back’. What does he mean? Our global team take a look.
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Published in:Home: OpinionTrump lost the election, but he won the online disinformation warSocial media platforms have allowed US conservatives to delegitimise the election and sow mistrust of democracy.
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Published in:Home: OpinionPhiladelphia to Biden: ‘If every vote counts, why not every life?’Racial justice activists in this city have a plan – and it includes both Democrats and Republicans.
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Published in:Home: OpinionAmericans didn’t vote for change. For many, it wasn’t on the ballotDespite Biden’s likely win, the Democratic establishment was crushed. Why?
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Published in:HomeHow the Republicans are stealing GeorgiaHundreds of thousands of people of colour have had their names erased from the voter list in this vital state.
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Published in:Home: OpinionIf Biden wants to heal US divisions, he’ll have to start with his own sideEverything points to polarisation getting worse. The good news is that we understand why it happens – and how we can...
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Published in:democraciaAbierta: OpinionFor Donald Trump, his defeat will be fake newsTrump threatened to deny his defeat and challenged the ballot box because it probably won't accommodate his desires....
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Published in:ourEconomySix charts that reveal America’s deep dividesThe US election is the most divisive in decades. But the fractures running through US society long predate COVID-19.
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Published in:Home: OpinionThe US will never get a Vietnam veteran as presidentEvery president from 1952-1992 was a WWII veteran. But this year, yet another draft-dodger will win.
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Published in:Home: OpinionTrump started a war against safe spaces, but then pledged to ‘Make America Safe Again’Conservatives have a long history of advocating for safe spaces when it suits them and exploiting them when it doesn't.
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Published in:ourEconomyJecorey Arthur: I grew up in the ‘capital of American racism’Podcast: The youngest person ever to be elected to the Louisville City Council calls for reparations for the...
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Published in:democraciaAbiertaUS Venezuelans: for Biden or Trump?A Republican or Democrat president will not influence Venezuela the way most Venezuelans expect it to. We know how...
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Published in:HomeUS elections 2020 in videoAll our interviews and on-the-ground coverage of the last few days of the campaign – and what comes next.
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Published in:Home: Opinion‘Stop voting from a place of fear’ – the other candidates deserve a hearingThe Green and Libertarian candidates for US president don’t agree on much. But they do agree US politics is broken.
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Published in:HomeWelcome to Trump country: ‘We’re the silent majority’Why is Trump winning support in this rural Kentucky town? Human trafficking, world peace – and ‘Antifa’.
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Published in:Transformation: OpinionThe dangerous psychology of Donald TrumpThe last four years provide a roadmap that shows how the personal and the political can combine to disastrous effect.
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Published in:HomeFrom the streets in Louisville: ‘No justice, No Halloween’In the city where police killed Breonna Taylor, Black Lives Matter have protested for months. They want change, they...
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Published in:ourEconomyUS election podcast: ‘We want change, not Biden’From race to a broken political system, the story of Louisville is in many ways the story of America.
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Published in:ourEconomy: OpinionWhat the US election means for Puerto Rico's fight for democracy and dignityPuerto Ricans have much to gain and much to lose on 3 November.
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Published in:Home: OpinionBob Peoples: ‘We need change in the whole democratic system’A legend of the Appalachian Trail calls on his generation to hand over power.
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Published in:ourEconomyThis election can’t contain the rage of young AmericansIn the most important election in my lifetime, who speaks for my generation?
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Published in:HomeTrump will lose. The problem is what comes nextAcross the country, people tell me they back racial equality, LGBTIQ and abortion rights, and believe in climate...
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Published in:Transformation: OpinionDonald Trump and the banality of evilEmptiness, lack of character and a fundamental unwillingness to take responsibility lurk at evil’s core.
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Published in:Transformation: OpinionFascism in AmericaWords matter. We must call what is happening in the US by its true name.
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Published in:Home: OpinionBehind Trump’s lies is a hard truth about the USAnd under Biden’s truths is a lie.
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Published in:TransformationMr. Vice-President, I am speakingHow a culture of interruption disadvantages women in politics.
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Published in:Transformation: OpinionThe five real conspiracies you need to know aboutWhile millions of people are spellbound by falsehoods, actual threats go unheeded and unchecked.
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Published in:Transformation: OpinionHow to stop a coup in AmericaHere are ten ways to make sure democracy is respected in the US Presidential Election.
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Published in:democraciaAbiertaUS election: Latinos lean Democratic, but Biden can’t take their vote for grantedDemocratic candidates must focus on policy and address the specific issues affecting Latino communities if they want...
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Published in:Transformation: OpinionEmpire of resentmentEmotions can be politically transformative; just look at Donald Trump and his supporters.
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Published in:Home: OpinionWhy I’m voting for Donald TrumpI voted for Barack Obama twice, then reluctantly for Trump. This time I’m more convinced he’s the right choice. Here’s why.
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Published in:Home: OpinionWhy isn’t Donald trumpeting his foreign policy record?Afghanistan, North Korea, ISIS, Israel and the Gulf States: they’re at best partial successes, but that never...
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Published in:ourEconomy: OpinionFor Joe Biden to sway young voters, he must be held accountableYoung people have inherited a world in crisis and the former vice president bears responsibility for some of their...
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Published in:ourEconomyJen Perelman: “Of all developed nations we are the least equipped to deal with a pandemic”Florida congressional candidate Jen Perelman tells ourVoices why she is primarying former DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Shultz.
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Published in:ourEconomy: OpinionFrom the streets to the ballot box: New York’s political revolutionAlongside a wave of insurgent progressive candidates, New York’s primary elections ushered in a mandate for radical change.
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Published in:ourEconomyLawrence Hamm: "The progressive movement must continue to push forward within the electoral arena"Longtime activist Lawrence Hamm discusses the Black Lives Matter protests across the US and his bid to unseat...
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Published in:ourEconomyBhaskar Sunkara on democratic socialism and the 2020 electionOn the latest episode of ourVoices, we spoke with Jacobin founder Bhaskar Sunkara about the future of the Democratic party.
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Published in:ourEconomyLauren Ashcraft: “This is the home of billionaire row and thousands of people are sleeping on the street”Seeking to represent New York’s 12th congressional district, Lauren Ashcraft is challenging long serving Democratic...
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Published in:ourEconomyUS election podcast: ‘We want change, not Biden’
From race to a broken political system, the story of Louisville is in many ways the story of America.
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Published in:ourEconomyPodcast: US election special #4 – Why does the US not have universal healthcare?In the latest ourVoices documentary, we place the movement for Medicare-for-All in the context of decades of...
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Published in:ourEconomyPodcast: US election special #3 – the housing crisis (part 2)
In the latest ourVoices documentary, we explore how social movements are reshaping the political discourse on...
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Published in:ourEconomyPodcast: US election special #3 – the housing crisis (part 1)
In the third installment of our podcast series on the US election, we explore the history of discrimination and...
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Published in:ourEconomyPodcast: US election special #2 – the Green New Deal
In the second part of our podcast series on the US election, we explore the influence of the fossil fuel industry...
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Published in:ourEconomyPodcast: US election special #1 – the military-industrial complex
In the first part of ourVoice’s special series on the US election, we explore the influence of the...