Election 2024 Recap: Republicans Win Big

By Nikash Bawa

On November 5, Americans went to the polls and voted in an election that would shape the nation’s future. The 2024 election had competitive races in the Senate, House and Presidency. Voters had a distinct choice between incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris (D) and former President Donald Trump (R) and decided on which party would have control of Congress. The election resulted in a Republican sweep of the House, Senate and Presidency, with Donald Trump garnering 312 electoral votes to Harris’s 226.

Issues:

For Americans, the top issues were the economy, immigration, abortion and democracy. However, the issue that Americans cared about the most was by far the economy. About eight in ten voters said that the economy was “very important” to their vote in the 2024 election. The economy was crucial to Republican success, as it was an issue on which voters favored Donald Trump by 10 points. Additionally, Harris was criticized for her role in the unpopular Biden administration, which saw record highs in inflation and interest rates throughout 2022 and 2023. President Biden had an approval rating of 38.5% going into Election Day, and the clear message was that voters were looking for a change, and believed that Donald Trump could deliver an answer to America’s economic struggles.

Results:

Even though the Presidential race was considered to be a toss-up going into election day, the results by Wednesday morning were clear. Trump had won 312 electoral votes and swept all seven swing states by decisive margins. Trump had his best showing yet, winning the popular vote for the first time and being the first Republican to do so since George W. Bush in 2004. In contrast, Kamala Harris had one of the worst showings for a Presidential candidate in recent history. She won the least amount of electoral votes since Mitt Romney in 2012, and no Democratic candidate had performed worse in the electoral college since 1988. In addition, she was the first Democrat to lose the popular vote since John Kerry in 2004.

How Did Trump Win?

The main message of Trump’s campaign was that he could fix the economy, a message that resonated with the electorate. The Harris campaign, on the other hand, focused heavily on Trump’s character, including his criminal investigations and past actions, a message that ultimately proved unsuccessful for Harris. Donald Trump won the election by dramatically expanding his support. He was able to make substantial gains with traditional Democratic voters, allowing him to build a strong and diverse coalition. Trump overwhelmingly won working class voters, many of whom had previously voted for Obama and Biden.

These shifts could be explained by the nation’s sour feelings toward the economy, as high inflation during the Biden administration had heavily affected the working class. In addition, Trump won male voters aged 18-29 by 13 points, a group that went for Biden by 15 points in 2020. Trump also made significant gains with minority voters. Black voters went for Biden by 83 points in 2020, but the margin shrunk to only 68 points in 2024. Hispanic voters, who voted for Biden by 28 points in 2020, voted for Harris by only 15 points. Though Democrats still won these groups, their smaller margins meant increased support for Trump, especially in crucial cities like Philadelphia and Detroit, leading him to decisive victories when paired with his strong base of rural voters.

In addition to winning the presidency, Republicans also regained Senate control and held their House majority, giving President-elect Trump Republican majorities in both legislative houses. These majorities, combined with a conservative-leaning Supreme Court, will undoubtedly give Trump substantial power to carry out his agenda of lowering taxes, decreasing environmental and corporate regulations, and strengthening the border.

In addition to winning the presidency, Republicans also regained Senate control and held their House majority, giving President-elect Trump Republican majorities in both legislative houses. These majorities, combined with a conservative-leaning Supreme Court, will undoubtedly give Trump substantial power to carry out his agenda of lowering taxes, decreasing environmental and corporate regulations, and strengthening the border.

Democrats were optimistic going into November 5, hoping to elect Kamala Harris and regain the House. However, what the results showed was truly disastrous for the Democratic Party. Democrats were startled and shocked as the results came in. One Democratic strategist even called it “a historic disaster of Biblical proportions,” and said that “the Democratic Party, as it is, is dead. This is a historic realignment.” This election will certainly be remembered for nationwide Republican victories, as Democrats were handed substantial defeats across the country.

In all, the 2024 election brought a major shift in U.S. politics, with Republicans winning the Presidency, taking control of the Senate, and holding their lead in the House. Donald Trump won by widening his support among working-class, young men, and gaining more Hispanic and Black voters, showing a shift in the Republican party toward a more diverse group of supporters. The Republican party’s focus on the economy led them to massive victories. Meanwhile, for Democrats the election was a tough loss, with Kamala Harris and her party falling short at almost every level. The Harris campaign certainly misjudged the importance of the economy, hoping that Trump’s unpopular character would carry them to victory, an approach which ultimately failed miserably. According to the Wall Street Journal, the results showed “how badly the Harris campaign misread an electorate that was more wound up about inflation and immigration than about Trump’s character.” These mistakes by the Harris campaign played a major role in Trump’s gains with crucial voters, and ultimately led him to a decisive victory on Election Night.