The 2024 presidential election saw Donald Trump secure a victory over Kamala Harris. While the Electoral College results were decisive, the popular vote difference was much closer. This article analyzes the vote counts for both candidates, examining both the Electoral College and popular vote outcomes.
Trump’s Electoral College Win
Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election with 312 Electoral College votes, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Kamala Harris received 226 Electoral College votes. This victory for Trump included flipping six states that had voted for Biden in 2020: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. All other states voted consistently with the 2020 election results. Trump’s 312 electoral votes represent a gain compared to his 2016 performance, even accounting for faithless electors in that election.
Popular Vote Comparison: Trump vs. Harris
While Trump won the presidency, the popular vote margin was significantly narrower. Trump received 77,284,118 votes, representing 49.8% of the total votes cast. Harris garnered 74,999,166 votes, or 48.3% of the total. This translates to a difference of 2,284,952 votes between the two candidates.
Trump’s popular vote count in 2024 was historically high, second only to Joe Biden’s total in 2020. It also significantly surpassed his own popular vote totals from both 2016 and 2020. Harris’s popular vote count, while less than Biden’s in 2020, was still greater than Trump’s 2020 total.
Voter Turnout in 2024
The 2024 election saw historically high voter turnout. Over 156 million Americans cast their ballots, making it the second largest voter turnout in U.S. history. While the turnout rate of 63.9% was slightly lower than the 2020 election, it remained high compared to recent elections. Wisconsin led the nation in voter turnout, while Hawaii had the lowest participation.
Was 2024 a Landslide Victory?
Despite initial claims, the 2024 election was not a landslide for Trump. Both the Electoral College and popular vote margins were relatively narrow compared to historical landslides. A shift of a relatively small number of votes in key states could have changed the outcome of the election. The 2024 election continues a trend of close presidential races, with the popular vote margin falling within single digits for the tenth consecutive election. This highlights the deep political divisions in the United States.
Other Election Outcomes and Trends
Beyond the presidential race, Republicans maintained control of both the House and Senate, albeit with slim majorities. The 119th Congress will include a record number of Black lawmakers but fewer women overall compared to the previous Congress. Notably, no women will chair House committees in the upcoming session. The representation of women of color in Congress also saw a slight decrease. Several historic firsts were achieved with the election of women and people of color to Congress, including the first Black women senators from Maryland and Delaware, and the first openly transgender member of the House.
Conclusion
The 2024 election results highlight the complexities of the American political landscape. While Trump secured a clear Electoral College victory, the narrow popular vote margin and close races in key states demonstrate a deeply divided electorate. The high voter turnout underscores the continued engagement of the American public in the democratic process. The composition of the new Congress reflects both progress in diversity and ongoing challenges in representation.
