Written by Eliza Dorton
Edited by Annika Lilja
The 2024 election resulted in a victory for former President Donald Trump, sweeping all seven swing states, winning the popular vote, and the electoral college. He ended up gaining 312 electoral votes while Vice President Kamala Harris got just 226. Trump won 50.3% of the popular vote, and Harris won 48.1%.
The New York Times claimed Trump won due to a variety of factors; the biggest was that he was able to match his grievances to the half of the country that voted for him, or vice versa. He “successfully harnessed anger and frustration” (NYT) about the government and harnessed the strength of the supporters of the MAGA movement, which CBS reports half of Republicans identify with MAGA. The Trump campaign also set out to define Harris as a radical liberal and “foolishly out of the mainstream.”
In contrast, Harris began her campaign only in July and followed President Joe Biden’s low approval ratings. Throughout her campaign, Harris painted Trump as “unserious,” only valuing his own circle, and as a “fascist.” It’s unclear if the election was always unwinnable for Harris or if their messaging proved wrong. Harris also spent a significant amount of time avoiding some interviews or unscripted appearances, notably Joe Rogan’s podcast.
CBS stated that the Democratic Party focused too much on social issues rather than the everyday needs of citizens, such as paying for housing and supporting a family. Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA) described that many people do not have the “luxury” to be thinking or caring about social issues over their own needs.
The role of the economy also played a major part in this election. Many Americans placed the economy as their top priority and people who voted for Trump largely did so because of their recollection of the economy during his last campaign. A lot of people may solely remember that his first term was one without inflation or high gas and grocery prices.
After almost a week of continuing congressional elections, it was confirmed that Republicans won the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. With the power of these three offices, the Trump administration will have great power and few limits. It is unclear to what extent he will take this power.
Sources:
Goldmacher, Shane, et al. "How Trump Won, and How Harris Lost." The New York Times, www.nytimes.com/2024/11/07/us/politics/trump-win-election-harris.html. Accessed 11 Nov. 2024.
McCandless Farmer, Brit. "The Factors That Led to Donald Trump's Victory." CBS News, www.cbsnews.com/news/factors-that-led-to-donald-trump-victory-60-minutes/. Accessed 11 Nov. 2024.
"2024 Presidential Election Results." AP News, apnews.com/projects/election-results-2024/. Accessed 11 Nov. 2024.