The Bitter End: The 2020 Presidential Campaign and the Challenge to American Democracy

What an intensely divisive election means for American politics

The year 2020 was a tumultuous time in American politics. It brought a global pandemic, protests for racial justice, and a razor-thin presidential election outcome. It culminated in an attack on the U.S. Capitol that attempted to deny Joe Bidens victory. The Bitter End explores the long-term trends and short-term shocks that shaped this dramatic year and what these changes could mean for the future.

John Sides, Chris Tausanovitch, and Lynn Vavreck demonstrate that Trumps presidency intensified the partisan politics of the previous decades and the identity politics of the 2016 election. Presidential elections have become calcified, with less chance of big swings in either partys favor. Republicans remained loyal to Trump and kept the election close, despite Trumps many scandals, a recession, and the pandemic. But in a narrowly divided electorate even small changes can have big consequences. The pandemic was a case in point: when Trump pushed to reopen the country even as infections mounted, support for Biden increased. The authors explain that, paradoxically, even as Bidens win came at a time of heightened party loyalty, there remained room for shifts that shaped the elections outcome. Ultimately, the events of 2020 showed that instead of the country coming together to face national challengesthe pandemic, George Floyds murder, and the Capitol riotthese challenges only reinforced divisions.

Expertly chronicling the tensions of an election that came to an explosive finish, The Bitter End presents a detailed account of a year of crises and the dangerous direction in which the country is headed.