Economy, Iraq war big election issues

"For those who thought the economy was in a long-term decline, 70 percent voted for Obama," Cohen said. "Financial anxiety was really tied to support for Obama."

Voters relied on Obama's plans to increase jobs and cut taxes for 95 percent of families. In a poll about economic empathy, 74 percent said Obama understood their woes, rather than 53 percent for McCain.

Yet had the war stayed in the top spot, Obama might not have had such support.

"Obama's advantage to McCain were only on the economy," Cohen said. "He did not have an edge on Iraq. He had a big deficit on handling the war on terrorism and an unexpected major crisis.

Discussions like these help students and the community understand that politics is not just about winning and losing but shifts and trends, said Kelly D. Patterson, a professor of political science and Director of the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy.

Those shifts include eight states changing from republican to democrat — not that there was a huge ideological change in the state, but that the residents there were leaning more to the left, Cohen said. This election also saw increased voter participation from the younger generation, Latinos and African Americans.

"These monumental shifts will have effects for generations," Patterson said.

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