2024, an incredibly key and divisive year for politics. Important developments have occurred for both Canada and the U.S in the past couple months. However, the political event that has the world hooked is the U.S presidential election.

 

The U.S is an international powerhouse, which means the world is inevitably invested in their pop culture, economy, society and politics. The 2024 election is an especially important one; we see the return of former president, Republican, Donald Trump, and current vice president, Democrat, Kamala Harris. 

 

Background Information

Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, was the president of the United States from 2017-2021. He did run in the 2020 presidential election, but lost to the Democrat candidate, Joe Biden. If he wins the 2024 election, it will mark his second and final term. 

 

During Joe Biden’s presidency, his vice president had been Kamala Harris. After Biden made it clear he would not be running in the 2024 election, it was announced that Harris would run instead. If she won, Kamala would make history as the first female president of the United States. 

 

Pre Election Developments

Many were certain that if Trump ran against Biden again, Trump would certainly win the election. However, with Harris as the new candidate, predictions are more unsure. At the moment the two presidential candidates seem to be at almost a tie amongst American voters. 

 

What has swayed many in Kamala’s favor is Donald Trump’s derogatory remarks and actions towards certain demographics. For example, at a recent rally in NYC, stand up comedian Tony Hinchcliffe (a speaker for Trump at a rally) made racist remarks towards Peurto Ricans and other minorities. Shortly after, celebrities like Bad Bunny and Jennifer Lopez, endorsed Kamala Harris. 

 

What has swayed voters in Trump’s favors, is what many think he will do for the economy. Many people who have previously voted Democrat are voting Republican this election because they feel Trump will lower the cost of living and be a good thing for the economy. While some may not agree with many of his views, they are feeling the wrath of inflation and the high costs of living and feel these issues were under control when he was in power.

 

Election Results

The 2024 election night was on Tuesday, November 5, and was heavily broadcasted over all major Canadian and American news stations. This election was an interesting one, as it felt that no one had any concrete predictions on whether Harris or Trump would win. 

 

Election night started off as expected, with Trump leading in electoral votes. However, CNN made it quite clear that Republican states’ electoral votes tend to be shared before Democratic states. As of roughly ten o’clock that night, Trump had 162 electoral votes, and Harris had 81. The next president must secure at least 270 electoral votes to win.

 

Some states that were won by Trump early on include: Florida, Texas, Alabama, Wyoming, and others that were all expected. States that Harris won include: California, New York, Washington, and others; these states tend to be Democratic. 

 

The focus, that night, was put on swing states, which could go either way. Both Harris and Trump paid a lot of attention to trying to get votes from Pennsylvania. Other high risk swing states include Wisconsin, Arizona, Louisiana, etc. Early into election night, it appeared that Harris would win the electoral votes in Pennsylvania, though the state was ultimately won by Trump. 

 

The race went as predicted early on. However, many were waiting late into the night and early morning for the final states to share who would receive their electoral votes. 

 

Early in the morning of Wednesday November 6, 2024, a winner was announced. Wisconsin was the state that led Republican candidate, Donald Trump, to victory. While Kamala did receive a large number of electoral votes, Trump was the candidate who succeeded that 270 mark. This will be Trump’s second term as president. 

 

Conclusion

This presidential election has been an interesting one. The last four elections, including the 2024 one, have seen an even mix of Democratic and Republican presidents. All eyes are currently on Trump to see what he will do in the U.S, now that he is back in power.