… The racial, ethnic and economic diversity in the nation’s urban areas, particularly the country’s biggest cities, has inherent divides and tensions, some of which were on display in this week’s mayoral primary in Washington, D.C. The Democratic primary spotlighted challenges ahead for the party as it tries to hold together and build on its urban base. …
The modern Democratic Party is a complicated mix of demographic and economic groups, simultaneously top- and bottom-heavy. In 2012, for instance, Mr. Obama won eight of the 10 wealthiest counties in America and won people with who had done post-graduate work by 13 percentage points. But Mr. Obama also won less-wealthy and less-educated voters by large margins, including those with incomes of less than $50,000 and those without a high school diploma.
Big city environments offer a good place to the see all those groups interact. In places like Washington, D.C., those groups often live in the same city, but not necessarily next door to one another. So places that look unified from a distance look quite different close up. CONT.
Dante Chinni (American U.), Wall Street Journal