ARIZONA ELECTION

ASU professor: Donald Trump’s election win akin to that of Ronald Reagan

Nov 11, 2016, 5:44 AM | Updated: 12:03 pm

(AP Photos)...

(AP Photos)

(AP Photos)

PHOENIX — Tuesday’s surprise win by Donald Trump hearkens back to the election of one of the Republican Party’s iconic members, an Arizona State University professor said.

ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism professor Leonard Downie Jr., who supervised election coverage at the Washington Post for more than 20 years, compared Trump’s win to that of Ronald Reagan.

“In 1980, I saw coverage of an incumbent president, Jimmy Carter, and an insurgent outsider, Ronald Reagan,” he said. “[Reagan] was not taken seriously by the Eastern elites and by the media. Both the polling and the coverage led us to believe it was either going to be a very close election or Carter would win.

“Ronald Reagan won by a landslide.”

Downie said one Washington Post columnist, Haynes Johnson, knew the election would go to Reagan.

“[He had] not traveled with a single candidate, not talked to a single focus group,” Downie said. “(Johnson) just visited people in their homes and at their workplaces … and told the story of a country that was very unhappy and angry. Almost identical to what we see today, except for different reasons and a different time.”

But the similarities don’t stop at the media failing to predict a Republican upset.

Both Trump and Reagan had a career in entertainment and other fields prior to beginning their political careers.

However, Reagan first tested the waters as a governor — he led the state of California from 1967-1975 — before he made a run for the White House. Trump, though he considered several runs at office, had not fully entered a political race prior to this year.

KTAR’s Carter Nacke contributed to this report.

Arizona Election

AP Photo/Matt Rourke)...

Associated Press

President Joe Biden to deliver speech in Arizona next week, pay tribute to John McCain

President Joe Biden will travel to Arizona next week to deliver a democracy-focused address that will also pay tribute to the late John McCain.

4 days ago

Stock image of a polling place. Arizonans can expect to see and hear an onslaught of political ads ...

Kevin Stone

Political ad spending suggests Arizona could be most important state in 2024 election

Based on political ad spending projections, Arizona could be the nation’s most important state in next year's election.

5 days ago

Members of the public attend a Cochise County Board of Supervisors meeting to provide feedback on t...

Associated Press

Cochise County elections director resigns 5 months after being hired

The elections director of Cochise County is resigning five months after being hired and returning to his previous job as elections director in La Paz County.

5 days ago

Maricopa County recorder Stephen Richer opens mail-in ballots Nov. 11, 2022, in Phoenix, Arizona....

Kevin Stone

Maricopa County recorder says registered voters have part in National Voter Registration Day

Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer says people who already are registered shouldn't feel left out on National Voter Registration Day.

6 days ago

2 Arizona laws requiring voters to prove citizenship status ruled on...

Serena O'Sullivan

Federal judge strikes down 2 Arizona voting proof-of-citizenship laws

U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton struck down two Arizona laws that expanded requirements for voters to prove their citizenship status.

9 days ago

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, right, meets with U.S. President Joe Biden at the Govern...

Kevin Stone

Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona thinks Democrats worry too much

Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona thinks Democrats' concerns about President Joe Biden are the result of his party's tendency to worry too much.

13 days ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Ignite Digital

How to unlock the power of digital marketing for Phoenix businesses

All businesses around the Valley hopes to maximize their ROI with current customers and secure a greater market share in the digital sphere.

Sanderson Ford...

Sanderson Ford

Sanderson Ford congratulates D-backs’ on drive to great first half of 2023

The Arizona Diamondbacks just completed a red-hot first half of the major league season, and Sanderson Ford wants to send its congratulations to the ballclub.

...

SANDERSON FORD

Thank you to Al McCoy for 51 years as voice of the Phoenix Suns

Sanderson Ford wants to share its thanks to Al McCoy for the impact he made in the Valley for more than a half-decade.

ASU professor: Donald Trump’s election win akin to that of Ronald Reagan