Why is this election so close? The issues and voters driving 2024

While no one knows how this November’s election is going to go in the U.S., there’s one thing most experts agree on: It’s likely going to be close. Very close. Poll after poll suggests that, especially in a few key states, support for the two candidates is evenly split in a way we haven’t seen in decades. 

So, with just about four weeks to go before election day, Dan Richards spoke with two experts about the key factors shaping this race. They discuss why neither Biden’s winning coalition in 2020 nor Trump’s coalition in 2016 seem likely to re-form and what this all means for American politics beyond November 5. 

Guests on this episode: 

• Wendy Schiller is a political science professor and director of the Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy. She is also the interim director of the Watson Institute. 
• Katherine Tate is a professor of political science at Brown University and an expert on public opinion and Black politics in the U.S. 

Learn more about the Watson Institute’s other podcasts

Learn more about Watson’s Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy