We will spend at least the next two years trying to determine what mandate, if any, was issued by American voters in the recent elections. If the results hold and at least one Republican is elected to the Senate in the Georgia runoff, we will have a divided government with the GOP retaining a slim majority in that body with a Democratic administration in the White House and weakened majority in the House of Representatives. This is not the clear consensus that either party had been seeking.
To get a better idea of what policies the American people desire in the immediate future, we must examine the issues that were on the forefront of their minds during this election. And just as important, we must look at the issues that did not have a significant influence on voting.
According to a study by the Pew Research Center in August, foreign policy was the sixth-most important issue to the American voter, behind domestic issues including the economy, COVID-19 response, healthcare and Supreme Court appointments (and this was a month before Justice Ginsberg passed away). An exit poll survey of voters by NBC News about the most important issue for them did not list foreign policy or national defense as a response, and discussion of these issues was notably lacking in the presidential and vice presidential debates.
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