Biden's Immigration Policy Could Benefit Democrats into the 2030s
How Biden May Have Saved Democrats in the Future
The COVID pandemic and subsequent shutdowns across the country caused one of the largest mass migrations in American history. Millions of people moved from blue states that championed shutdowns to red states, especially in the Southeast and West. This had economic and political ramifications, as states that voted for Donald Trump in 2024 were set to gain 12 electoral college votes.
According to the Brennan Center, Texas, Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, Utah, and Idaho were set to gain seats. At the same time, Pennsylvania was the only state that voted for Trump to lose one electoral college seat. Meanwhile, New York, California, Rhode Island, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota were set to lose seats 13 electoral college votes.
This guaranteed that Republicans could win the presidency without having to win a single Rust Belt state. Coming out on top in Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, and all other traditional GOP states would be enough to guarantee victory.
When the Census released its new estimates a year later, the trend lines began to turn. While Texas and Florida were set to make significant gains, with both getting four new seats, Georgia and Tennessee would see no gains. The deep blue states of New York and Illinois would lose three seats instead of five, as initially predicted.