As the final aftermath of the 2024 election rolls in, questions are being raised about how the election unfolded and what comes next for the nation.
Ballots are still being counted in some states. However, by Wednesday morning, presidential-elect Donald Trump earned enough electoral votes to win the presidency, with 295 compared to Harris’ 226. This is the first time in 20 years a Republican president has won the popular vote and the first time any president will serve a second term non-consecutively since Grover Cleveland in 1893.
As for the popular vote, the Associated Press currently shows Trump in the lead by around 4 million votes. However, the AP predicts it will shrink as more Democratic votes come in. Trump accomplished this feat by winning key battleground states such as Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Arizona and Nevada are still in the process of being counted.
Winning Michigan helped push Trump to victory along with Pennsylvania, a typically Democratic state that favored Trump in 2016, but Biden in 2020. The presidency was secured for Trump once he won Wisconsin, pushing him over 270 electoral votes.
The race for the House shows 199 Democrats and 211 Republicans with 25 still to be called. The race for Senate shows 45 Democrats and 53 republicans with 2 more seats to be called for the Democrats.
As for the senate race in Wisconsin, Tammy Baldwin, the incumbent Democratic candidate, won reelection against Republican Eric Hovde. The AP called the race at 1:42 p.m. on Wednesday. Baldwin remains undefeated in her 38 years of political elections.
According to the AP, Democrats in Wisconsin usually rely on Dane County (Madison) and Milwaukee County for votes, while Republicans look to Brown County (Green Bay) and “WOW” counties Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington. The places where Hovde was expected to win were overcome by the Dane and Milwaukee counties that Baldwin succeeded in.
This story was written by Bridget Lisle. She can be reached at [email protected].
