Political journalist and analyst Bill Schneider said on Wednesday that the Republican Party is “bleeding educated, suburban voters” under President Trump.
“We’ve been seeing that happen for a long time, including in the 2016 election,” Schneider, who is a professor at George Mason University, told Hill.TV’s Jamal Simmons on “What America’s Thinking.”
“We have a very odd relationship with the polls that’s new in the polls since 2016, and Trump has caused this,” he continued. “The wealthier you are, the more likely you are to be a Republican, but the better educated you are the more likely you are to be Democrat.”
Schneider went on to say that Trump has turned off educated, wealthy Republicans, living in traditional Republican strongholds.
“In 2012, Mitt Romney was the prince of wealth, Barack Obama was the prince of education. That’s a division that has become bigger and bigger particularly the differences by education,” he said.
“Trump turns off a lot of well-educated, affluent Republican voters who live in suburbs like Fairfax County, Va., Montgomery County, Pa.,” he continued.
Republicans will have to defend a slew of what have normally been safe districts for the GOP in November’s midterm elections.
The GOP’s troubles in suburban districts was illustrated earlier this month in the special House election for Ohio’s 12th congressional district, which was deemed too close to call. Trump won the district in 2016 by 11 points.
An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released earlier this year showed Republican support among suburbanites dropping 7 points from 50 percent in February to 43 percent in March.
— Julia Manchester
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