November 11, 2024 by Olivia Clemmensen (‘26)
In the most anticipated election of quite possibly our lifetime, a surprisingly strong result made itself clear to our country, sending the world abuzz with talk about America’s future. What was projected to be a tight race between Vice-President Kamala Harris and Former President Donald Trump, November 5th‘s election day brought about a landslide win for Trump, with 312 electoral votes in contrast to Harris’ 226, making him America’s 47th President, to be in office this January.
Some attribute Harris’ loss to her short campaign of 107 days following President Joe Biden’s drop out of the race after running against Trump for a second term. Another theory of reasoning for Trump’s win was his strong promise of economic stability and success under his presidency, and the fact that Harris did not separate herself enough from the Biden administration and its policies during her campaign. However, during her campaign she raised a record of $1 Billion in the three-month period of her candidacy, raising over $200 million in just her first week in the race.
Along with winning the confusing and complicated electoral college (see The Power of Your Vote! – The Lightning Rod for a brief explanation!), Trump has also won the popular vote, with 74,708,910 votes compared to Harris’ 70,980,381 votes. As shown on AP News, a large demographic of people, especially those of the white race, and citizens living in rural to suburban areas voted in Trump’s favor this election.
With the violent events following the transition of presidential power on January 6th last election, many Americans are worried about how it will all play out this January. Following the results of the election, President Biden has given his commitment to a peaceful transition of power while, as of today, Trump has yet to sign the mandatory ethics agreement solidifying his promise for a peaceful transition, worrying some that he might be hesitant to agree to this for reasons related to January of 2021.
Many democrats have been left grappling with the new fate of our presidency, regarding extremely controversial topics on the ballot, including abortion laws, decisions dealing with the wars in Ukraine and Israel, the immigration debate, LGBTQIA+ rights and climate change to name a few. Both republicans and democrats have had strong opinions and views regarding this election, and many are left wondering if the nation’s choice to elect Trump will result in success for the U.S. in the next 4 years of his term.
Takeaways from Election Day 2024 | CNN Politics
How 5 key groups voted in the 2024 Election, according to AP VoteCast data | AP News
Trump still hasn’t signed ethics agreement required for presidential transition | CNN Politics
source: 270 to win
