Trump Wins Presidency; Republicans Flip Senate
Image courtesy of PBS
By Patrick D. Lewis
After four years of campaigning for re-election, the 45th President of the United States has been chosen by the American people as their 47th President.
Republican candidate Donald Trump has won the 2024 presidential election, defeating Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris by a margin greater than most people would have bet on going into election day. The Associated Press (AP) called the race in the early hours of Wednesday morning, sooner than most expected, in favor of the former, and now future, president.
As of this writing, Trump is projected to have secured 295 votes in the Electoral College to Harris’ 226, according to the AP. Trump is also ahead in the nationwide popular vote, something he did not accomplish in 2020 nor in his 2016 victory, by nearly 5 million votes.
Strengthening the former president’s victory is the Republican party’s victory in the U.S. Senate. The chamber has been controlled by Democrats since 2021. As of this writing, the GOP is projected by the AP to have won 52 senate seats, including three seats currently held by Democrats, and the Democrats have won 45. Six seats remain to be called, several of which could result in additional blue-to-red flips.
As of this writing, control of the House of Representatives is too soon to call. Many polls showed a Democratic flip of the lower chamber, but the stronger-than-expected national showing by the GOP has thrown those predictions into question. According to AP projections, Republicans have won 210 seats to the Democrats’ 196. 218 seats are required to attain the majority, a number that high-ranking House members on both sides of the aisle now believe the GOP is likely to reach, according to CNN.
Vice President Harris conceded the race in a speech just blocks from Catholic University at her alma mater, Howard University, on Wednesday. She promised a peaceful transfer of power, and assistance to the Trump transition team, and pledged to continue fighting for her party’s beliefs and values in the future. On Thursday, President Biden addressed the nation from the White House, similarly vowing a peaceful transfer of power to his predecessor and, now, successor.
Trump’s victory means that he will be the first person to serve non-consecutive terms as President since Grover Cleveland, who served from 1885-1889 and 1893-1897. He will be inaugurated on January 20, 2025.
