Four years after losing the presidential election in 2020, Donald J. Trump has been elected for the United States (U.S.) presidency for a second term alongside his Vice Presidential pick, James Davis (JD) Vance, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris and Tim Walz Tuesday, Nov. 5.
The race for the White House was widely described as neck-and-neck, but in a turn of events, the former President rapidly collected the seven major swing states. These states, some of which were leaning towards the Democratic Party, were Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
By Nov. 6, Trump was the projected winner of the 2024 Election with the majority of the electoral votes, eventually reaching 312 compared to Harris’ 226 electoral votes.
To win the election, each candidate needed to reach 270, or half, of the electoral votes.
Prior to her loss, Harris and her campaign were hoping for a “blue wall,” or a certain 18 U.S. states alongside the District of Columbia, but failed when electoral votes of the seven swing states turned red.
Two of the causes for the so-called “red sweep” of the swing states was voter turnout and voter demographic shifts. About 64% of eligible voters in the United States casted a ballot, while 36% did not. In recent history, voter turnout has generally been between 40-50%, illustrating a strong shift.
Likewise, the voter demographics for this election provide an interesting shift seen best in Latino voters and young men.
In the 2020 election, about 34% of Latino voters favored Trump, a statistic that has jumped nearly 10% in the current election. More young men voted for Trump in this election than in the previous one, with 56% voting red in 2024 compared to 41% in 2020.
Despite this, the Democratic Party generally maintained its hold on minority groups, still receiving the majority of African American and Latino votes alongside other ethnicities.
After the results were announced, Harris delivered her concession speech at Howard University to address her supporters and the nation as a whole.
Alongside a Republican Victory in the presidential Election, the following days and weeks also culminated in Republicans winning the majorities in both the House and Senate, giving the Grand Old Party (GOP) much control in the upcoming four years.
Trump has since released many of his picks for his cabinet and staff during his upcoming presidency, most notably Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the next Head of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Pam Bondi as Attorney General, John Ratcliffe as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense, and Susie Wiles as White House Chief of Staff.
The manager of his campaign, Wiles will make history as the first female Chief of Staff. He announced his pick for the vital position Thursday, Nov. 7th.
As Trump prepares to take office, he will continue to appoint positions and will be inaugurated Monday, Jan. 20, 2025.
