By Jonah Reyes, Politics & Policy
· 2 min read
The essentials
- •The race was called after Trump won Wisconsin, putting him over the 270 electoral votes needed.
- •Republicans also won control of the Senate, flipping seats in West Virginia and Ohio, and by early Wednesday had gained at least one more.
- •Exit polls and early analysis suggest that the cost of living and immigration were top issues for voters.
- •Harris, who replaced President Biden as the Democratic nominee in July, did not speak publicly on election night.
The short answer
WASHINGTON, Nov. 6 - Donald Trump won the presidency on Wednesday morning, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris and returning to the White House four years after he left it, according to projections from the Associated Press and major networks. The race was called after Trump won Wisconsin, putting him over the 270 electoral votes needed.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 6 - Donald Trump won the presidency on Wednesday morning, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris and returning to the White House four years after he left it, according to projections from the Associated Press and major networks.
The race was called after Trump won Wisconsin, putting him over the 270 electoral votes needed. He also won Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina, and was leading in other battleground states, including Arizona, Michigan and Nevada, as votes continued to be counted. Polls had suggested an extremely close contest for months.
Trump, 78, will be the oldest person ever elected president. He is the first president since Grover Cleveland in the 19th century to win a second term after losing re-election. He spoke to supporters in West Palm Beach, Florida, early Wednesday and said it was "a political victory that our country has never seen before."
Republicans also won control of the Senate, flipping seats in West Virginia and Ohio, and by early Wednesday had gained at least one more. Control of the House of Representatives was still undecided. A Republican sweep would give Trump a stronger hand in passing his agenda.
What drove the result: Exit polls and early analysis suggest that the cost of living and immigration were top issues for voters. Many said they were worried about the economy and about prices at the grocery store. Trump made gains with Latino voters and with young men compared with 2020, while Harris's campaign had hoped to win through support from women and suburban voters.
Harris, who replaced President Biden as the Democratic nominee in July, did not speak publicly on election night. Her campaign chair told supporters gathered at Howard University in Washington that she would address the country on Wednesday. Biden called Trump to congratulate him.
Biden invited Trump to the White House to discuss the transition and planned to address the nation on Thursday. The new term begins on Jan. 20.
Financial markets rose on the result. The dollar strengthened and Bitcoin hit a record high.
Sources
- 012024 United States presidential election, Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- 02Why AP called Wisconsin and the White House for Donald Trump, PBS NewsHourpbs.org
- 03Full text of Trump's victory speech, Times of Israeltimesofisrael.com
- 04Harris delivers concession speech after Trump wins 2024 election, NBC Washingtonnbcwashington.com
Corrections
No corrections have been made to this article.
About the reporter
Politics & Policy Reporter, Trestlewire
The most consequential thing I ever watched a legislature do happened in a committee room in Santa Fe at a quarter past eleven at night, in 2003, with four reporters present and three of them asleep. A single amendment changed who qualified for a state program, and almost nobody noticed for a year. I have been reading bills line by line ever since, because that is where the story usually is.
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