Why Donald Trump still could not conquer Orange County

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

78% : "Paul Mitchell, a Democratic data specialist, said Trump probably did better in the county because of lower Democratic turnout this year compared with 2020, as well as voters being familiar -- and potentially comfortable -- with Trump because of their experience during his prior tenure.
73% : In 2020, Biden fared even better, besting Trump by more than 137,500 votes.
58% : While I know Trump is a billionaire, I think he understands the needs of a middle-class person.
55% : Maybe voters like the economy better under Trump.
54% : Trump also gained ground in Silicon Valley and Los Angeles County compared with 2016 and 2020.
51% : "Michele Monda, a Republican who lives in the deep-blue city of Laguna Beach, voted for Trump in 2016, 2020 and 2024 with her son and grandchildren in mind.
51% : "I think as people have decided that they're OK with Trump, they've been coming back to the party.
49% : "People in the press and people like me still so often take Trump literally, whereas voters lived through this once and the apocalypse didn't happen and they liked the economy better," said Rob Stutzman, a veteran GOP strategist and Trump critic who previously advised former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
46% : "In 2016, Clinton received roughly 100,000 more votes in Orange County than Trump, making her the first Democrat county voters selected for the presidency in 80 years.
46% : Though Harris won the majority of votes across deep-blue California, Trump was on track to win Butte, Stanislaus, Fresno, Inyo, San Bernardino and Riverside counties, all areas that Biden carried in 2020.
39% : "When Trump was first elected, he was not everybody's favorite flavor of ice cream, and I think you saw a lot of Republicans who decided to become independent," Fleischman said.
32% : Now, Harris has edged out Trump, but the margin of victory is on trend to be much tighter than seen in past elections.
28% : But it's clear, experts say, that Trump harnessed the disillusionment felt by voters who are unhappy with the direction of the country and the economic pains that have beset many living in the suburbs.
28% : "The [election] results are much more a statement about people's dissatisfaction with the current national administration than some grand statement about Trump or Republicans," said Jon Gould, dean of the university's School of Social Ecology.
25% : "In order for Trump to win Orange County, he had to make inroads with minority voters, and he did that through issues that mattered to them and the struggles they're facing," Corless said.Democrats' ability to register voters in Orange County has also slowed.
16% : "It may also be Trump has been normalized, in an odd way," Mitchell said.

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