by Danielle Skinner ('27)
The 2024 presidential election took many people by surprise in one way or another. From President Joe R. Biden, Jr.’s withdrawal and endorsement of Vice President Kamala D. Harris to assassination attempts on former President Donald J. Trump to two disastrous debates with two different candidates, the chaos of this election never seemed to stop.
Trump gained 312 electoral votes compared to Harris’ 226; 270 electoral votes are required to win an election. Looking at the popular vote, Trump had 75,457,103 votes, which is over 3 million more than Harris’ 72,314,659. Jill Stein, of the Green Party won the most third party votes, with 730,939 votes, about 0.5% of the popular vote.
This year, approximately 244 million Americans were eligible to vote with around 150 million voting, compared to over 158 million in the 2020 presidential election (Bipartisan Policy Center).
The swing states of Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada and Arizona played a key role in this year’s election. These states leaned Republican, deciding Trump’s victory. Not only did Trump win over all the swing states, he also kept all the states that he held in 2020.
Trump will take office on January 20, 2025 making him the second president to serve two non-consecutive terms; the first being Grover Cleveland in 1892. At 78 years old, Trump will be one of the two oldest presidents in US history by the end of his term, and the only president to be elected after being impeached. Additionally, he won the most decisive Republican victory since George H. W. Bush in 1988.
In her concession speech, Harris asked Democrats to accept the results of the election, “When we lose an election, we accept the results,” and presented a message of a peaceful transfer of power, stating that she “would not give up the fight.”
Politics and Philosophy major Raychel Yost ‘27 expressed an important message that echoes the atmosphere of the election, “Don’t let your political identity overshadow your Christian identity, and don’t let the election disrupt your relationship with people. If politics is keeping you from loving your neighbor, something is wrong.” ★
