In the 2016 presidential election, Polish-Americans were important members of the emerging Republican majority. I organized the Polish-Americans for Trump Advisory Council, one of the most active and effective coalition groups. We reached out nationwide but had a major focus and impact in key swing states: Pennsylvania, Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio and North Carolina.
I. Background
Polish-Americans traditionally voted for the Democratic Party, but generational change and conservative social attitudes are leading the young Poles to vote increasingly Republican. Last year’s presidential election and the hostile stance of the Democratic Party only reinforced and accelerated this realignment.
From potential GOP presidential candidates, Donald Trump seemed most suitable to Polish-Americans because he talked about the “forgotten man”: Poland and Polish-Americans were certainly forgotten. As with other Americans, the Polish-American middle and working class were hurt by economic policies of the last 20 years, the outsourcing of jobs and wage stagnation. In addition, Democratic Party politics were alien to Polish-American values: there is an emphasis on identity and gender politics and a militant secular agenda with an anti-Catholic tone.
Dalsza część artykułu dostępna po wykupieniu subskrypcji. Kup tutaj!
