Something truly unprecedented happened in American politics during the last election.

It wasn't that identity politics was a huge factor.

That has been a driving force in how Americans vote for a long time.

Note, what was unusual about the 2024 elections was that the identity that seemed to matter most

this time wasn't race. It was class. From KERA in Dallas, this is think. I'm Chris Boyd. That came as a blow

to Democrats who had long been accustomed to very strong support from communities of color.

But it was a boon to Republicans who managed to win over significant numbers of voters from traditionally Democratic strongholds based on their shared dissatisfaction with how the economy has worked for them.

Here to talk about how and why it happened, and whether this is a momentary aberration

or a sign of what's to come,

is Wall Street Journal economics reporter Gene Wayland,

co-author of the article,

The New Driving Force of Identity Politics is Class, Not Race,

written along with Valerie Bowerline and Ariane Campoflois.

Gene, welcome to think.

Hi there.

There is so much here that seems to contradict conventional wisdom

that as soon as I read the article,

I knew I really wanted to talk with you.

What were some of the indicators in the most recent election

that socioeconomic class seems to be growing in importance

as a voter classification, while racial identity seems to be declining.

One of the main things was that Trump made really big gains with voters who don't have a four-year college degree.

...