Encyclopedia of Opinion
Question
Will Donald Trump be re-elected?
Position1 of 2
Yes, Donald Trump will be re-elected
Argument4 of 7

Donald Trump is set to win key election battlegrounds

While national polls show Biden with a lead, the electoral college system prioritizes battleground states. Trump has a great chance of winning key states, which will win him the election. It will be a 2016 repeat.

The argument

Trump will win key swing states, just as he did in 2016. FL, AZ, PA, and MI will determine the election.

Context

Michigan - -Industrial workers voted Trump in 2016 - Michigan folks resent Biden's '94 crime deal. - Support is high - "My political instincts are influenced by what I see on front lawns. Drive around metro Detroit and yards are sprouting Trump signs. Giant Trump flags cover the sides of houses and wave from the beds of pick-ups and the decks of boats"(Congresswoman Dumas). Pennsylvania - - As in years prior, one of Pennsylvania’s keystone voting issues is energy. Fracking, the practice of extracting natural oil and gas via drilling, has long been important to the state’s economy. Trump supports fracking. - Trump won in 2016, and this was a shock Florida - - FL could decide the race, and it is a swing-state again - Hispanic support for Trump is high in FL - "Since 1996, the average margin of victory for presidential candidates here is just 2.6 percentage points, by far the lowest of any state" (Anderson) - Recent Florida polling has shown a tight race Arizona - - Traditionally red - Polling shows Trump will likely win - Important to election

Premises

[P1]Key swing states like Florida, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Michigan will determine the election. [P2] Trump won these same battlegrounds in 2016. [P3] He is set to carry them again. [C] Therefore, because he is set to win the key battlegrounds, Donald Trump will be re-elected.

Counter-arguments

- Biden will win key swing states, recent polls show a big advantage. - Biden's numbers are higher than those of Hilary Clinton in 2016. - Biden will win PA due to his connection to Scranton and the middle class. This will win him the election. - Polls show Biden will win AZ, and swing it blue. - Miami voters will cost Trump FL.

Rejecting the premises

- Biden has an overwhelming lead in all swing states, especially the most key state - PA

Framing

- National polls are empirically unreliable - The electoral college is structured in such a way that less-popular candidates can win - Popular vote doesn't matter in U.S.