ABSTRACT
The shocking election of Donald Trump can be partly explained by certain socioeconomic and cultural changes. They include the clear division of the lower-middle class into two halves largely corresponding to its rural and urban locations, as well as the deepening of a historical racial rift within the working class between declining whites losing expectations and Blacks and Latinos adhering to traditional demands.
The US institutional system only admits two major political contenders. In recent decades, two well-sorted, highly disciplined, prone-to-conflict political parties have overblown the degree of polarization of the electoral and political competition that can be generated by societal divisions. Some states and electoral districts with critical socioeconomic and cultural features have become battlegrounds for harsh, dead heat contentions and uncertain results. This is how the decisive role of the Presidential Electoral College to break ties has become more visible.
