Minority voters likely to determine presidential outcome

EXPERT Q&A If history repeats previous elections’ behaviors, race and ethnicity will be the critical determinant of how people vote this year, according to a University of Michigan expert. The polls indicate a tight race between the two candidates in a hotly contested battle for the White House. History is likely to repeat: Many minority voters will lean Democrat while many whites will lean Republican, said Vincent Hutchings, professor of political science and of Afroamerican and African studies, and a researcher at the Center for Political Studies at the U-M Institute for Social Research. What intrigues you about this election? My background is in survey research, public opinions, elections, voting and race. I’m curious to see how different racial populations vote, not just Black Americans and Latinos, but also Asian Americans and white Americans. How much of a majority is Trump going to get among whites? Is it going to be enough for him to win? Can Harris cut into that in some form or fashion? Is the gender gap likely to be especially large because of the Dobbs decision? These are the things I’ll be looking for. So not just the outcome, but also how different constituencies based on...