Among the voting blocks making big moves Donald Trump presidential election: Pretrial detainees at Chicago’s largest prison complex.

Trump wins with nearly every demographic group in race against Vice President Kamala Harris This year he swept every battleground state and narrowly won the popular vote. The election saw significant shifts to the right in some blue states, including Illinois, which shifted six points to Trump.

Those gains even carried over to Cook Count Prison, where Trump had a much stronger showing against the President than he did four years ago. Joe Biden.

Trump narrowly carried the district, which is home to the Cook County Department of Corrections, which houses people accused of a crime but not yet in court, as well as some bystanders, according to data from the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. fields.

Trump received support from about 49 percent of voters in the district, while Harris received support from 47 percent. In 2020, Biden received 70 percent of the vote, compared to Trump’s 26 percent, a slight redraw, according to the board of election commissioners.

In other words, the district went from voting for Biden by 44 points to supporting Trump by about a point and a half; this was a 45-point increase in just four years.

The Cook County jail held more than 5,600 people in 2019, making it the nation’s sixth-largest jail, according to U.S.C. Ministry of Justice Prisons Census.

Christopher Uggen, adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota and distinguished McKnight professor of sociology, law and public affairs, said: news week Working-class and lower-income Americans who are overrepresented in the criminal justice system say support for Trump from Americans who are overrepresented in the criminal justice system is less surprising in 2024 than it was 20 years ago. Republicans.

These trends are particularly striking among men, who make up the majority of pre-trial detainees, he said.

“So the current push against Trump is to some extent in line with national trends fueled by the economy, immigration concerns and other campaign issues,” he said.

Uggen said he has “seen some evidence that people with criminal records may be more likely to support independent or ‘outsider’ candidates, particularly former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura.”

He noted that guessing whether the change was related to Harris’ prosecutorial experience or Trump’s felony convictions would be mere speculation.

More states across the country are granting voting rights to people who have been incarcerated or convicted of felonies, and Uggen said both parties need to consider the needs of those voters in the coming years.

“As more people with criminal-level criminal records regain the right to vote, I hope that both major parties will begin to take their own interests into account, not in terms of crime and punishment, but in terms of providing jobs, education and assistance programs as they re-enter society,” he said.

news week He reached out to the Trump transition team and Harris’ team via email for comment.

What Do Surveys Tell Us About the Political Views of the Incarcerated Population?

The election results are not the first indication that Trump remains popular among the incarcerated population, despite his tough-on-crime rhetoric and policy positions that were key to this year’s election.

A survey conducted by The Marshall Project earlier this year found that: Nearly half of those incarcerated say they will vote for Trump in the electionIt’s a finding that closely mirrors Cook County’s results as well as this year’s national popular vote.

The report found that Trump’s support was strongest among white incarcerated people, 61 percent of whom said they would support him over Harris. It also revealed that a “significant minority” of incarcerated Black men would also vote for Trump. More than 54,000 people were surveyed in 785 jails and prisons across the country.

According to the survey, detainees also act independently. While approximately 35 percent of those surveyed said they identified themselves as independent voters. Democrats and Republicans each account for 18 percent of the incarcerated population.

Trump became the first major party presidential candidate to be convicted of a serious crime. He was convicted in May on 34 counts of falsifying business records as part of a scheme to cover up an alleged affair with the adult film actress. Stormy Daniels. Trump has denied having an affair with Daniels, maintained his innocence, and attempted to appeal the case.

‘Prosecutor vs. ‘Felon’: Harris’ Campaign Theme Focused on Prosecutor’s Records

Trump and Harris have offered different visions of criminal justice over the years.

During the campaign, Trump portrayed himself as a stronger candidate on crime, a key issue for many voters this year. He also signed into law the First Step Act during his first term. bipartisan legislation It aims to help some incarcerated individuals secure early release by participating in programs aimed at reducing recidivism.

Harris, who served as California attorney general and San Francisco district attorney, described the race as a choice between a prosecutor and a criminal, seeking to draw attention to Trump’s criminal complaints and Harris’ prosecutorial record.

He described himself as a tough but fair prosecutor who took on all kinds of crimes, from violent gangs to white-collar crooks, during his tenure as prosecutor and AG. That framework, adopted by many of his allies, has sparked some pushback from Democrats, who warn that the rhetoric could harm others accused of crimes.

“Guilty versus prosecutor is a glib phrase perfect for an election-year bumper sticker. However, the claim that a “criminal” is inherently and permanently untrustworthy leads to heaps of hypocrisy from a party that accurately describes itself. Over-criminalization, mass “incarceration and voter suppression are systemic problems.” MSNBC Opinion Editor Jarvis DeBerry wrote in an opinion piece in August.

It also focused on some criminal justice policies: repeal of mandatory minimum sentenceswhile campaigning. But in the end, Trump easily beat Harris among voters who see crime and safety as the top issues, according to exit polls.