How tiny voter groups now decide America's biggest political races
Modern U.S elections dont follow the old pattern of clear-cut victories anymore. Todayʼs races are won by razor-thin margins in just a few key states‚ making every single vote more important than ever
Gone are the days when U.S presidents won by huge margins (like in the mid-1900s) Todayʼs elections hang on razor-thin margins in just a few swing-states‚ where small voter groups make all the difference
Political expert Frances Lee from Princeton explains how things changed: before the mid-90s Democrats had a lock on Congress but now power shifts back-and-forth like a see-saw. The House of Representatives shows this pattern clearly; its been switching sides with ever-shrinking majorities
The old system made cross-party teamwork easier — Democrats didnt mind sharing power and Republicans had to play nice to get anything done. Now its different: every vote counts‚ and working with the other side could cost you the next election. The non-stop political fights we see today come from this new reality
Modern presidential races follow the same path — voting patterns are now set-in-stone in most places making swing voters super-important. Everything changed after the year-2000 Florida vote count battle (which needed the Supreme Court to settle things). Even though some states now vote differently than they did back then the basic pattern hasnʼt changed: every election is a nail-biter that comes down to just a few thousand votes in key places
