The 2024 Presidential Election

On Tuesday, November 5, 2024, the United States of America held a presidential election.  There were two key contenders in this race: Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee and current vice-president, and Donald Trump, the Republican nominee and former president.  Donald Trump won the election.  This outcome was historic; Trump is the only president, other than Grover Clevland, to win two nonconsecutive terms, and the oldest person ever elected to the office at 78 years old.  To understand this election’s results, it is important to understand what issues were important to voters, the candidates’ policy positions, how polling was used to predict the victor of the election, and arguably the most important, who people actually voted for.

In the leadup to the election, both candidates were roughly equally favored to take the White House.  538, a reputable poll aggregator, gave Harris a 50% chance of winning, while giving Trump a 49% chance.  Polls in the seven coveted swing states were also about tied, with neither candidate ever obtaining a considerable lead over the other.  In both 2016 and 2020, Trump had seemed to outperform the predictions made by polls; this trend continued in 2024.  Trump managed to win every single swing state, carrying him to 312 electoral votes; and unlike 2016, Trump secured a majority of the popular vote: ~50% at the time of this article being written.

There were a multitude of issues that were important to voters during this election cycle.  One of these issues was the state of the nation’s economy.  Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States, along with many other countries, went through a period of high inflation, triggered by a disruption in the global supply chain.  This inflation resulted in an increase of prices on everyday goods, such as groceries and gas, therefore raising the cost of living and contributing to a general sense of dissatisfaction with the incumbent Biden administration, which served to hinder Harris’ campaign, as she was the vice-president during this time.  Another significant issue was abortion.  During his first term as president, Donald Trump nominated three justices to the Supreme Court, securing a conservative majority.  In 2022, the now right-leaning court issued the Dobbs’ decision, which overruled Roe V. Wade: a previous ruling which had determined that women had the right to undergo abortion procedures.  During the campaign, Kamala Harris ran on a platform that included enshrining the right to seek an abortion into federal law.  Donald Trump was not very vocal about his opinions on the issue, in contrast to previous elections; he maintained that abortion rights should be left up to the states.  

Furthermore, the issue of the preservation of America’s democracy was also prominent during this election.  Many voters viewed Trump as a threat to democracy.  Following his loss in the 2020 election, Trump claimed electoral fraud, often claiming that he was the true victor.  This denial culminated in the January 6th insurrection, in which a violent mob stormed the capitol building in an attempt to stop the certification of the electoral vote.

Overall, the 2024 presidential election was a monumental moment in American history.  Despite their differences on many key policy issues, Donald Trump was able to defeat Kamala Harris in their race to win the presidency. Additionally, the  Republican party was able to secure a majority in both chambers of congress, giving Trump a strong foothold to pass his agenda once sworn in.