The US Election Result 2024: The Democrats Had The Odds Stacked Against Them
Donald Trump has won the US presidential election with 74 million votes according to the Associated Press. His opponent, Vice President Harris, only received 70 million votes. This is in comparison to President Biden who obtained 81 million votes in 2020 according to Newsweek, whilst Trump received a similar 74 million votes in 2020. This means 11 million less people turned out to vote for the Democrats four years later. Is this because Harris failed, or because the system was against her victory from the very start?
The Democrat’s campaign was mismanaged. They chose to campaign not based on strong economic policies to aid middle and lower income households, but manly focused on presenting Trump as dangerous. This was backed up by individuals such as John Kelly, Trump’s former Chief of Staff, who called the Republican nominee a Fascist. This rhetoric, whilst true, was the same that had been used in the Biden campaign and has been said for the past 8 years. Put simply, many are desensitised to this message.
A major issue was that under a Biden presidency, America had not flourished. Abortion rights were rolled back, as well as the nation feeling the squeeze of inflation and rising house prices due to global economic struggle. So, for the average American, the Democrats did not appear to be that much better than Trump with regards to the handling of the nation on an economic level.
This all means the Democratic approach of being the “better alternative” rang hollow to many American voters. This failed tactic, Biden’s vastly unpopular presidency and Harris being saddled with only 100 days to carry out her campaign meant she failed to explain her own unique position which then resulted in many voters simply not knowing what she was going to do.
It would be neglectful to not mention the elephant in the room, that being that Kamala Harris was the first black woman to run as Presidential nominee. This was a defining aspect of her campaign and of her identity as a candidate. To some it may have pulled them in, yet for the swing states Harris needed to win it may have hurt her campaign. Also considering how Trump now has only ever won against female nominee’s, it appears some of America’s voter base may have a level of systemic misogyny that was working against Harris’ campaign from the very beginning.
These problems were added to by the failings of the American media. US media organisations, unlike services such as the BBC, are not legally required to be impartial, or even truthful in the case of Fox News. This means that American news outlets can be as biased as its financial backers and editors want it to be.
This means American media will be less negative to those who are financially beneficial for them, such as Trump who promises tax cuts as opposed to Harris. Thus, the USA receives a perspective that is critical of Democratic failings and minimise their successes, whilst simultaneously presenting Trump in the controversial yet powerful light he desires. This makes worse the existing problems I’ve already mentioned.
This all culminated in the failure of voters to show up for Harris on election day. Many of these voters, primarily on the left wing of her party, felt disenfranchised by a President who failed to appeal to them. Harris campaigned as though she assumed she would have their support without question, and in so doing, lost them as many refused to vote, either out of protest, or out of apathy.
These are all the factors I believe contributed to the Democrat’s loss. However, I do not believe that Harris or the Democrats truly failed in this election. As the ruling party of the time, under a deeply unpopular President, they were always on the back foot. Adding the other factors mentioned, Harris was always fighting a near impossible uphill battle. To me, this means that if I were to judge her as failing, I’d ignore all the odds stacked against her. So, whilst Harris lost the 2024 election, I don’t think she failed.
Words by Sam Edwards
Cover Image Credit: Ben Curtis/ AP
