New York’s Red Wave: How Voter Shifts and Media Trends Tilted the City Red
Photo: Professor Ryan Hitch explaining the economy being impacted during the presidential races 2016, 2020 and 2024.
Photo and article by Alanis Omar
Pearl Persad, a single mother in Queens, was once a die-hard Democrat, encouraging her close friends and family members to cast out their ballots and show support for Hillary Clinton during her run for office in 2016.
However, after the pandemic hit, prices skyrocketed, and it left Persad questioning which candidate would lower costs and help make every-day necessities like groceries affordable again.
“I was getting tired of the blame game – not taking accountability, and empty promises,” Persad, 50, says as she scrolls through social media. “I wanted to see change and the only promising candidate that could make that happen was Donald J. Trump. He is not a politician; he comes from a business background. We are not here to choose a candidate that we like but rather a figure that can bring our economy from the deficit we are now in.”
A surprising number of New Yorkers felt the same way as Persad. They believed that Trump could lower prices and felt the need to cast a ballot for him. Research from the Center for Urban Research at CUNY highlights a shift from Democratic to Republican voting in traditionally Democratic New York City neighborhoods, especially in parts of Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx—areas once less receptive to the GOP. In Auburndale, Queens, Biden won 56.9 percent in 2020, but in 2024, Trump led with 51.2 percent, ahead of Harris at 48.8 percent. In Bronxdale, Biden's 2020 victory (57.7 percent to 42.3 percent) flipped in 2024, with Trump at 52.3 percent and Harris at 47.7 percent. In Kensington, Brooklyn, Biden's 2020 win (51.7percent to 48.3 percent) was reversed, with Trump securing 63.4 percent and Harris 36.6 percent.
Without a doubt, the red wave has hit The Big Apple. The question is: why?
While many Americans celebrated Trump’s victory, hopeful Democrats were caught off guard and stunned by the unexpected election results.
Anna Nicolaou, a political science professor at City College and U.S. media editor for the Financial Times, says she has closely monitored presidential races in recent years. She believes this particular election has been heavily shaped by media influences and that the red wave has been underneath our noses for a while.
"This election has crystallized a trend that’s been gaining momentum for years now,” says Nicolaou, who teaches a course on Mass Media and Politics. “Increasingly, right-leaning Americans are getting their news and information from different sources than the left-leaning population. This is happening across the country, including in historically Democratic states such as New York. Conservatives are increasingly turning to podcasts or YouTube for their political information, while people who identify as more liberal are reading or watching the mainstream news media. As a result, Americans are often voting based on entirely different sets of information.”
Ashif Hassan, corporate partnerships manager at the Colin Powell School, tries to avoid misinformation spread through social media. He utilizes the free subscriptions from news outlets like The New York Times provided by CCNY. “I don’t have to hunt down my news, and I can get good quality news,” says Hassan. “My priorities were climate change and reproductive rights, health care, and I felt that in Harris policies.”
Ryan Hitch, a political science professor, says he works hard to find quality information to shape his views and voting choices. He admits the election results are hard to digest but states that the data doesn't lie. “Migration and the cost of living has been cited alot and crime, but my feeling - it’s a lot about perceptions,” says Hitch, who teaches a course on international organizations. “Something happened [COVID-19 Pandemic] this is the effect of perception. Perception flips parties.”
