Last month, Jeremy Hobson — host of NPR’s The Middle — joined Created Equal to discuss the geographic, economic and political characteristics of the “American middle” and its impact on national politics.

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This week, Hobson returned to Created Equal  — post-election — to continue his discussion with host Stephen Henderson about the American middle and to reflect on how middle-class concerns helped drive the results of the 2024 presidential election.

Hobson believes that many voters were hesitant to vote for the incumbent party because of their economic struggles under the Biden administration. He explained that although states throughout the country moved towards Donald Trump in this election, this shift was most visible in swing states, leading to a heightened sense of political polarization between the middle of America and the coasts. 

Hobson also discussed how the Democratic Party’s focus on abortion rights may have been misplaced, when many states had referendums about abortion rights on their ballots this election or in the past. 

Use the media player above to listen to the full conversation.

Guests:  

• Jeremy Hobson is the host of the NPR call-in show The Middle and the former host of Here and Now and the Marketplace Morning Report.

Listen to Created Equal with host Stephen Henderson weekdays from 9-10 a.m. ET on 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand.