The Bitter End - by John Sides & Chris Tausanovitch & Lynn Vavreck

About the Book

"What are the priorities that drove voter behavior going into the 2020 election? What are the issues that most divide us, and how do these divisions manifest among different groups? How did Donald Trump speak to these issues in his presidency and reelection campaign? These are the kinds of questions that John Sides, Chris Tausanovitch, and Lynn Vavreck will explore in their new book. In the spirit of Sides and Vavreck's book The Gamble: Choice and Chance in the 2012 Election, and Sides, Tesler, and Vavreck's Identity Crisis: The 2016 Presidential Campaign and the Battle for the Meaning of America, the authors will emphasize the unique and historic features of the 2020 presidential race, as well as the important fundamentals that underlie all presidential elections, while presenting current political science research for a general audience. Drawing their data from a new initiative called The Nationscape Project, composed of 500,000 interviews conducted throughout the year and before the 2021 inauguration, the book promises to be a data-driven analysis of what really mattered in the 2020 campaign. The book's driving argument and ultimate message will be determined by the data, but their current plan is to devote chapters to the big ideas that are driving voters to the polls and determining support for various candidates, how these ideas align with party orientation, and how beliefs differ across various subgroups, determined by age, education, race, gender, and region. Laced throughout these findings will be narration of the unfolding election, supported by the authors' firsthand reporting, observations, and interviews with voters. Notably, the authors seek to explain the conditions that, despite the challenges and problems of the Trump presidency, nearly handed Trump a second term as President"--

Book Synopsis

What an intensely divisive election portends 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 Biden's 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 Trump's 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 party's favor. Republicans remained loyal to Trump and kept the election close, despite Trump's 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 Biden's win came at a time of heightened party loyalty, there remained room for shifts that shaped the election's outcome. Ultimately, the events of 2020 showed that instead of the country coming together to face national challenges--the pandemic, George Floyd's murder, and the Capitol riot--these 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.

Review Quotes

"Completely invaluable. . . . A model of how American politics is working right."---Ezra Klein, New York Times

"Since 2000, we've stayed very close to 50-50 in presidential elections and control of Congress has bounced back and forth. . . . No wonder the political scientists John Sides, Chris Tausanovitch and Lynn Vavreck refer to our politics as 'calcified' in their important (and aptly titled) recent book on the 2020 election, The Bitter End."---E. J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post

"The authors compile a vast amount of statistical and survey data to identify what they call the 'tectonic shifts' transforming the American political landscape. . . . Recommended."-- "Choice"

"The timely advice and analysis will pique the interest of readers interested in politics and government and will be a strong title to offer prior to election season."-- "Library Journal"

About the Author

John Sides is the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Political Science at Vanderbilt University. Twitter @johnmsides Chris Tausanovitch is associate professor of political science at the University of California, Los Angeles. Twitter @ctausanovitch Lynn Vavreck is the Marvin Hoffenberg Professor of American Politics and Public Policy at the University of California, Los Angeles. Twitter @vavreck Sides and Vavreck are the coauthors of The Gamble: Choice and Chance in the 2012 Presidential Election and, with Michael Tesler, of Identity Crisis: The 2016 Presidential Campaign and the Battle for the Meaning of America (both Princeton).