Explain 2024 US election results in details

The 2024 U.S. presidential election, held on November 5, 2024, was a highly consequential and closely watched event, resulting in the election of Donald J. Trump as the 47th President of the United States, marking his return to the White House for a non-consecutive second term. Trump, the Republican candidate, defeated the incumbent Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, securing 312 Electoral College votes to Harris’s 226, surpassing the 270 needed to win. The election was notable for its tumultuous context, including two assassination attempts on Trump, significant voter concerns about the economy and immigration, and a polarized political landscape. Below is a detailed breakdown of the election results, key dynamics, and broader implications, drawing on available sources.

Presidential Election Outcome

• Electoral College Results:
  • Donald J. Trump (Republican): 312 electoral votes, winning 31 states, including all seven battleground states (Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin). This was a significant improvement over his 2020 performance, where he secured 232 electoral votes. Trump flipped six states from 2020: Arizona (11 votes), Georgia (16), Michigan (15), Nevada (6), Pennsylvania (19), and Wisconsin (10).
  • Kamala D. Harris (Democrat): 226 electoral votes, winning 19 states plus Washington, D.C. Harris carried states like California, New York, and Illinois but lost key battlegrounds that Joe Biden had won in 2020.
  • Total Electoral Votes: 538, with 270 needed to win. Maine and Nebraska, which split their electoral votes by congressional district, saw no significant deviations from state-level results in 2024, unlike in some prior elections.
• Popular Vote:
  • Trump won approximately 77.3 million votes (49.9%), while Harris garnered 75.0 million votes (48.3%), giving Trump a popular vote lead of about 1.48–1.68%, or roughly 2.3–2.8 million votes, based on estimates with over 99% of votes counted.
  • This marked the first time a Republican won the popular vote since George W. Bush in 2004. Trump’s 2024 popular vote total (77,304,184) was the second-highest in U.S. history, trailing only Joe Biden’s 2020 total (81,284,666). His cumulative popular votes across three elections (2016, 2020, 2024) surpassed Barack Obama’s, setting a record for any presidential candidate.
  • Voter turnout was approximately 156.3 million, or 63.9% of eligible voters, lower than the 66.6% in 2020 but high by modern standards. Wisconsin had the highest turnout at 76.93%, while Hawaii had the lowest at 50%.
• Key Battleground States:
  • The seven battleground states (93 electoral votes total) were decisive. Trump’s sweep of these states—Pennsylvania (19), Georgia (16), North Carolina (16), Michigan (15), Arizona (11), Wisconsin (10), and Nevada (6)—secured his victory.
  • Early reporting from Georgia and North Carolina, where polls closed at 7:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. local time, respectively, provided initial indicators of Trump’s strength. Pennsylvania’s results, despite delayed mail-in ballot processing, were critical, with Trump projected to win by 50.4% to Harris’s 48.5%.
  • Slower counts in Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, and Nevada, due to mail-in voting laws, extended final projections, but Trump’s consistent leads in these states confirmed his path to 270 by early November 6, 2024.

Congressional and Gubernatorial Elections

• U.S. Senate:
  • Republicans flipped the Senate, securing a majority with 53 seats, up from 49 in 2020. Key flips included West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Montana. Democrats held 46 seats, winning competitive races in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin despite Trump’s presidential wins in those states.
  • Notable races included Republican Dave McCormick defeating incumbent Democrat Bob Casey in Pennsylvania, and Democratic incumbents Jacky Rosen (Nevada) and Tammy Baldwin (Wisconsin) retaining their seats.
• U.S. House of Representatives:
  • Republicans maintained narrow control with 212 seats to Democrats’ 200, with some races still pending as of early 2025. Democrats flipped seats in states like California (Adam Gray, Derek Tran) and Oregon (Janelle Bynum), while Republicans flipped seats in Colorado (Gabe Evans) and Alaska (Nick Begich).
  • Sarah McBride (Delaware) made history as the first openly transgender person elected to Congress.
• Gubernatorial and Territorial Elections:
  • Republicans flipped governorships in American Samoa and Puerto Rico, and the New Progressive Party in Puerto Rico gained control of both legislative chambers.
  • All 435 House seats and non-voting delegate positions were contested, with no major shifts in territorial representation.

Key Issues and Campaign Dynamics

• Economy: The economy was the top voter concern, with post-COVID inflation raising prices despite a decline in 2023–2024. Democrats emphasized recovery under “Bidenomics,” while Republicans, led by Trump, promised federal intervention to boost prosperity.
• Immigration and Border Security: A surge in illegal border crossings (peaking in 2023) fueled voter concerns. Polls showed strong support for reducing immigration, and Trump capitalized on this issue, contrasting with Democratic policies under Biden, which saw crossings drop to a three-year low by June 2024 after stricter asylum rules.
• Election Integrity and Threats: The election denial movement, led by Trump and some Republicans, persisted from 2020, with false claims of voter fraud and “noncitizen voting.” This led to thousands of threats against election workers, including suspicious packages with white powder (later identified as flour in some cases). The DOJ’s Election Threats Task Force charged 20 individuals in 2024.
• Assassination Attempts: Two attempts on Trump’s life—one in Pennsylvania and one in Florida—heightened tensions. Polls post-Pennsylvania showed one-third of Americans believed the attempts were part of a broader conspiracy.
• Candidate Perceptions: A poll on October 25, 2024, found 49% of Americans viewed Trump as a “fascist” (defined as a dictator disregarding rights and using force), compared to 22% for Harris. Trump’s legal battles, including dismissed charges related to January 6 and classified documents, and ongoing Georgia election interference cases, shaped narratives of “election interference” among some Republicans, though no evidence supported these claims.

Demographic and Voting Trends

• Gender Gap: The gender gap widened significantly. Among 18–29-year-olds, women supported Democrats at 63% (down from 66% in 2020), while men dropped to 46% (from 55%), creating a 17-point gap. This trend was consistent across battleground states and driven by declining male support for Democrats.
• Racial and Regional Shifts: Trump increased his vote share in every state compared to 2020, with notable swings in New York (6.43%), New Jersey (4.92%), and Florida (4.88%). Latino men, in particular, shifted toward Trump, reshaping the political landscape.
• County-Level Shifts: Trump boosted his vote share in many counties, flipping some from 2020. Detailed precinct-level maps showed a “red shift” in both urban and rural areas, though Democratic strongholds like Washington, D.C. (92.4% for Harris) and Vermont remained blue.

Electoral Process and Certification

• Electoral College: Electors met on December 17, 2024, to cast votes, with no “faithless electors” reported, unlike 2016. Congress certified the results on January 6, 2025, without disruptions, unlike 2021. The Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022 clarified the vice president’s role as “ministerial,” preventing challenges like those attempted in 2020.
• Vote Counting: Early results from Georgia and North Carolina came quickly due to efficient mail-in ballot processing, while Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, and Nevada saw delays due to mail-in voting laws. Full certification took weeks in some states.

Historical Context and Significance

• Trump became the first president since Grover Cleveland in 1892 to win non-consecutive terms.
• The election marked the third consecutive loss for the incumbent party (Democrats in 2024, Republicans in 2020, Democrats in 2016), a rare occurrence since 1892.
• Republicans achieved a government trifecta (presidency, Senate, House) for the first time since 2016, strengthening their legislative influence.
• The election was described as competitive, not a landslide, despite early media characterizations. Trump’s 312 electoral votes were only six more than Biden’s 2020 total and far below Obama’s 2008 haul (365).

Sources of Information

The analysis draws from reputable sources, including:

• Wikipedia for historical context and legal developments.
• CNN, NBC News, AP News, and Reuters for real-time results and vote counts.
• The New York Times for precinct-level data and swing state analysis.
• Catalist for demographic trends and voter file analysis.
• Posts on X from AP, Reuters, and CNN for breaking news on election night.

Conclusion

The 2024 U.S. election saw Donald Trump achieve a historic comeback, winning both the Electoral College and popular vote by narrow margins, driven by gains in battleground states and a rightward shift in voter sentiment. Economic concerns, immigration, and election integrity debates dominated the campaign, while Republican gains in Congress solidified their influence. The election’s outcome, certified smoothly despite earlier threats and tensions, underscored deep divisions but also the resilience of the U.S. electoral system. For further details, sources like The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com) and NBC News (https://www.nbcnews.com) provide interactive maps and in-depth analyses.