Donald Trump has won the 2024 presidential election.
Trump secured electoral votes from swing states North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada, Michigan and Arizona, resulting in his win over Vice President Kamala Harris.
After Wisconsin voted in favor of Trump on Nov. 6, the Associated Press called the election, saying it was over. Trump is only the second president in American history to win a non-consecutive presidential term, after Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th president, according to AP news.
In his victory speech, Trump thanked his supporters and said this election as “the greatest political movement of all time.”
“There's never been anything like this in this country… and now it's going to reach a new level of importance because we're going to help our country heal,” Trump said. “And every citizen, I will fight for you, for your family and your future. Every single day I will be fighting for you with every breath in my body, I will not rest until we have delivered the strong, safe and prosperous America that our children deserve and that you deserve. This will truly be the golden age of America; that's what we have to have.”
While Harris declined to speak to supporters Tuesday night, the co-chair of the Harris campaign, Cedric Richmond, said it is expected that Harris will make a concession speech sometime early Wednesday morning. Midday Wednesday, Harris conceded in a speech to supporters at Howard University, her alma mater.
“… Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars,” Harris said in her concession speech. “I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time, but for the benefit of us all, I hope that is not the case. But here’s the thing, America… let us fill the sky with the light of a brilliant, brilliant billion of stars. The light, the light of optimism, of faith, of truth and service. And may that work guide us, even in the face of setbacks toward the extraordinary promise of the United States of America.”
This election was originally pegged as a “battle of the sexes” in articles like “What’s really behind America’s men v women election” for the BBC.
Historically, Trump has struggled to connect with female voters, only getting 44% of the female vote in the 2020 election and 39% in 2016, according to an article from NDTV. Female voters typically have a higher turnout, according to PEW research, but they are favoring Harris less than they favored Biden in the 2020 election, according to an article from the Washington Post.
“Early exit polls found women favored Harris by 10 points, compared with President Joe Biden’s 14-point advantage in 2020,” a Washington Post article said. “Men preferred Trump by 10 points, up from nine four years ago.”
Jakob Miller, associate professor of political science, said both Trump and Harris targeted specific genders as a part of their campaign efforts. As the votes came in, there was still a sizable gender split between the candidates, but it was smaller than anticipated.
Multiple factors contributed to the election outcome. One factor being voters’ concern about the economy — or rather their perception of it. In polls, the issue of the economy was at the forefront of voters’ minds, Miller said.
Another contribution to the election results might be that Harris began her campaign later than Trump. Additionally, voters wanted change and Harris’s ties to the current President Joe Biden could have hurt her in the polls. She did not appear to want to change any current policies, Miller said.
The initial thoughts from political commentators, like Nate Silver, was that the race would be close, within one percentage point. However, Miller believes that this idea was based on pre-election polls and surveys showing both candidates at neck and neck, creating the uncertainty of how the race would end, instead of the race itself being close.
This election was also cited as “historic” by news anchors across all platforms, but Miller refutes the momentousness of this election while also acknowledging its importance. While all elections will be recorded historically, this specific election is not different or a necessarily noteworthy election by comparison.
“Every single election we say is the most important election in our lifetime,” Miller said. “And so was the last one, and so will the next one [be].”
