'Barstool vote' a factor in 2024 election, Trump victory
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - With millions of votes cast during the 2024 general election, some political analysts think one deciding factor could have come from an often-quiet demographic known as the "Barstool vote."
‘Barstool Vote’
One major political force that polls might not have accounted for is being called the "Barstool vote" – a reference to the popular media outlet Barstool Sports, which offers videos and podcasts on sports and pop culture.
Some political analysts say the demographic, namely white males ages 18 to 30, can be seen as a quiet force since the 2016 election – in part because of a fear of being shouted down for signaling support for Donald Trump.
"One of the national trends we’re seeing is that young, white men are unpredictable in most presidential elections. They probably weren’t polled a lot in the last few months, and they came out and voted for Trump," political analyst Blois Olson told FOX 9. "I call them ‘Barstool votes’ because the Barstool culture and brand of watching sports, podcasts – that’s where they get their news. The discussion at colleges today is which algorithm are you on, because they realize they’re getting their news and information based on what it thought their preferences were."
Other interests among the "Barstool vote" include gambling and music, specifically country, according to Olson.
According to Olson, the political phenomenon can be compared to the popularity of Taylor Swift.
"But they [‘Barstool voters’] are quieter – they’re not going to wear their politics on their sleeve. Nobody asked this crowd why they were going to vote," said Olson.
In Minnesota, 1,518,388 people, or 46.65%, voted for the Trump/Vance ticket, while 1,656,376 – or 50.89% - voted for Harris/Walz.
A breakdown of how each county voted for president in Minnesota can be found here.
Trump wins
The Associated Press projected former president Donald Trump as the winner early Wednesday after calling Wisconsin – putting him over the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the presidency.
In a victory speech during the hours that followed, Trump told a crowd: "Every citizen, I will fight for you, for your family and your future. This will truly be the golden age of America."
Trump, 78, will begin his second term early next year after losing his first reelection bid to President Joe Biden back in 2020.
Trump will be the first former president to return to office since Grover Cleveland regained the White House in the 1892 election.
Concession ahead
Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to officially concede the 2024 election to Donald Trump, after he was projected to become the 47th U.S. president.
Trump was declared the winner early Wednesday by the Associated Press and others, having surpassed the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the presidency.
Harris earned at least 224 electoral votes, with swing state results in Michigan, Nevada, and Arizona still outstanding as of this writing.
Harris launched her White House bid just four months ago after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz became her running mate in the months that followed.