Donald J. Trump was elected as the 47th president of the United States. Trump defeated standing Vice President Kamala Harris after winning Wisconsin, which put his total of Electoral College votes above the 270 needed to secure the presidency.
Donald Trump is the only US president to be impeached (twice) and re-elected in history. He is also the second US president to serve two non-consecutive terms, the first being Grover Cleveland in 1893. He and JD Vance are scheduled to be inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2025.
The 2024 battleground states were very similar to the battleground states during the 2020 Presidential election between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Key players this year included Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin. As of November 6, Trump leads the popular vote, making this the first time he has done so. He previously lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton in 2016 and to Joe Biden in 2020.
Trump secured Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Wisconsin, among others, putting his total number of electoral votes at 277 (compared to Harris’ 224). Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes proved essential for Trump’s victory.
Key campaign issues discussed during this year included abortion, climate change, the economy, education, immigration, foreign policy, democracy, healthcare, LGBTQ rights, and democracy.
How does the Electoral College work?
The Electoral College is the process in which Americans indirectly elect their president and vice president. Candidates must lock in 270 Electoral Votes, a majority of the total of 538, to win.
This was the first presidential election since the 2020 United States Census, which reappointed Electoral College votes among several key states. For example, Texas gained 2 electoral college votes between 2020 and 2024. California, New York, and Pennsylvania each lost 1 electoral college vote.
