The Gold Coast in Connecticut

Local press is reporting that Democratic presidential hopefuls Senator Kamala Harris and Mayor Pete Buttigieg are both coming to Greenwich, CT for fund raisers in one of America’s wealthiest communities. The visits continue a trend from 2016 when Hillary Clinton made repeated trips to Greenwich and surrounding Fairfield County to tap wealthy donors. Interestingly, Greenwich as well as Fairfield County, once a staunchly Republican voting bloc, has moved to the left and now leans Democratic. Wealthy Americans — at least those in Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts — favor the more progressive Democratic candidates, while working class voters have moved Republican. The shift is visible in Connecticut. In 2016, Hillary won 56.5% of the Greenwich vote against Trump, a dramatic improvement from Obama’s 43.9% in Greenwich against Romney. Similar results played out in other wealthy suburban towns in Connecticut. Statewide, however, Hillary under performed Obama in Connecticut. Obama won 58% of the Connecticut vote in 2012 whereas Clinton won 54% in 2016. Trump actually outperformed Romney by more than 40,000 votes in Connecticut despite losing historically Republican towns like Greenwich. How did he do it? By vastly outperforming Romney in working class communities that previously voted Democratic. It will be interesting to see if these wealthy communities will stay Democratic if Democrats nominate a Democratic Socialist candidate such as Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren.