2024 United States presidential election

The 2024 United States presidential election, the 60th quadrennial presidential election, is currently being held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024.[3] Voters in each state and the District of Columbia will choose electors to the Electoral College, who will then elect a president and vice president for a term of four years.

The incumbent president, Joe Biden of the Democratic Party, initially ran for re-election,[4] and became the party's presumptive nominee, facing little opposition;[5] however, Biden's performance in the presidential debate held in June 2024 intensified concerns about his age and health, and led to calls within his party for him to leave the race.[6] Although initially adamant on remaining in the race, Biden withdrew on July 21, becoming the first eligible incumbent president to withdraw from the race since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968, and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, who became the party's nominee on August 5. Harris selected Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, as her running mate.

Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump, a member of the Republican Party, is running for re-election for a second, non-consecutive term, after losing to Biden in 2020.[7] He was nominated during the 2024 Republican National Convention along with his running mate, Ohio senator JD Vance. The Trump campaign has been noted for making many false and misleading statements,[8][9][10] engaging in anti-immigrant fearmongering,[a] and promoting conspiracy theories.[11][12] Trump has continued to repeat his false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him, which prompted the January 6 Capitol attack.[13] Trump's embrace of far-right extremism,[11][12] as well as increasingly violent, dehumanizing, and authoritarian rhetoric against his political opponents,[b] has been described by historians and scholars as populist, authoritarian, fascist,[c] unlike anything a political candidate has ever said in U.S. history,[14][15][16] and a continued breaking of political norms.[17] The Republican Party has made efforts to disrupt the 2024 presidential election as part of a larger election denial movement among U.S. conservatives. In May 2024, Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, becoming the first former U.S. president to be convicted of a crime.[18] In 2023 and 2024, he was found liable in civil proceedings for sexual abuse, defamation, and financial fraud. Trump remains under multiple indictments for his attempts to overturn the 2020 election and role in the January 6 attack and his racketeering prosecution to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state of Georgia. Trump survived an assassination attempt in July 2024 during a campaign rally.[19]

The presidential election will take place at the same time as elections for the U.S. Senate, House, state governorships, and state legislatures. Key swing states for the presidential election include Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.[20] Leading campaign issues are abortion,[21][22][23] climate change,[24][25] democracy,[26][27] the economy,[28] education,[29] foreign policy,[30] healthcare,[31] immigration,[32][33] and LGBTQ rights.[34] The economy has consistently been cited by voters in polls as being the most important issue in the election.[35][28] The winners are scheduled to be inaugurated on January 20, 2025, as the 47th president and 50th vice president of the United States, respectively.

2024 United States presidential election

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For the elections in the United States in general, see 2024 United States elections.

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2024 United States presidential election

← 2020 November 5, 2024 2028 →

538 members of the Electoral College

270 electoral votes needed to win

Opinion polls

Reporting

0.0%

as of 5:30 am, 5 November 2024 EST

Nominee Kamala Harris Donald Trump

Party Democratic Republican

Home state California Florida

Running mate Tim Walz JD Vance

Projected electoral vote TBD TBD

States carried TBD TBD

Popular vote 3[1][2] 3[1]

Percentage 50% 50%

2024 electoral map, based on the results of the 2020 census

President before election

Joe Biden

Democratic

Elected President

[to be determined]

[to be determined]

2024 U.S. presidential election

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Democratic Party

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Republican Party

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← 2020 2024 2028 →

The 2024 United States presidential election, the 60th quadrennial presidential election, is currently being held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024.[3] Voters in each state and the District of Columbia will choose electors to the Electoral College, who will then elect a president and vice president for a term of four years.

The incumbent president, Joe Biden of the Democratic Party, initially ran for re-election,[4] and became the party's presumptive nominee, facing little opposition;[5] however, Biden's performance in the presidential debate held in June 2024 intensified concerns about his age and health, and led to calls within his party for him to leave the race.[6] Although initially adamant on remaining in the race, Biden withdrew on July 21, becoming the first eligible incumbent president to withdraw from the race since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968, and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, who became the party's nominee on August 5. Harris selected Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, as her running mate.

Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump, a member of the Republican Party, is running for re-election for a second, non-consecutive term, after losing to Biden in 2020.[7] He was nominated during the 2024 Republican National Convention along with his running mate, Ohio senator JD Vance. The Trump campaign has been noted for making many false and misleading statements,[8][9][10] engaging in anti-immigrant fearmongering,[a] and promoting conspiracy theories.[11][12] Trump has continued to repeat his false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him, which prompted the January 6 Capitol attack.[13] Trump's embrace of far-right extremism,[11][12] as well as increasingly violent, dehumanizing, and authoritarian rhetoric against his political opponents,[b] has been described by historians and scholars as populist, authoritarian, fascist,[c] unlike anything a political candidate has ever said in U.S. history,[14][15][16] and a continued breaking of political norms.[17] The Republican Party has made efforts to disrupt the 2024 presidential election as part of a larger election denial movement among U.S. conservatives. In May 2024, Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, becoming the first former U.S. president to be convicted of a crime.[18] In 2023 and 2024, he was found liable in civil proceedings for sexual abuse, defamation, and financial fraud. Trump remains under multiple indictments for his attempts to overturn the 2020 election and role in the January 6 attack and his racketeering prosecution to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state of Georgia. Trump survived an assassination attempt in July 2024 during a campaign rally.[19]

The presidential election will take place at the same time as elections for the U.S. Senate, House, state governorships, and state legislatures. Key swing states for the presidential election include Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.[20] Leading campaign issues are abortion,[21][22][23] climate change,[24][25] democracy,[26][27] the economy,[28] education,[29] foreign policy,[30] healthcare,[31] immigration,[32][33] and LGBTQ rights.[34] The economy has consistently been cited by voters in polls as being the most important issue in the election.[35][28] The winners are scheduled to be inaugurated on January 20, 2025, as the 47th president and 50th vice president of the United States, respectively.

Background

Joe Biden, the incumbent president, whose term ends on January 20, 2025

A general election ballot from Fairfax County, Virginia, listing the presidential and vice presidential candidates

Procedure

Main article: United States presidential election § Procedure

Article Two of the United States Constitution states that for a person to serve as president, the individual must be a natural-born citizen of the United States, be at least 35 years old, and have been a United States resident for at least 14 years. The Twenty-second Amendment forbids any person from being elected president more than twice. Major party candidates seek the nomination through a series of primary elections that select the delegates who choose the candidate at the party's national convention. Each party's national convention chooses a vice presidential running mate to form that party's ticket. The nominee for president usually picks the running mate, who is then ratified by the delegates at the party's convention. If no candidate wins a majority of their party's delegates' votes, or (in this election) a party's presumptive nominee drops out of the race between the primaries and the convention, a brokered convention may be held: the delegates are then "released" and are free to switch their allegiance to a different candidate.[36]

The general election in November is an indirect election, in which voters cast ballots for a slate of members of the Electoral College; these electors then directly elect the president and vice president.[37] Election offices are dealing with increased workloads and public scrutiny. Officials in many states have sought additional funding to hire more personnel, improve security, and extend training. Numerous election offices are dealing with an increase in retirements and are overwhelmed with public records requests, owing in part to the electoral mistrust planted by former President Trump's loss in the 2020 election.[38][39]

Trump is the first president in American history to be impeached twice, and the first to run again after impeachment. Trump was first impeached by the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives in December 2019 for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress due to his attempts to coerce Ukraine to provide damaging information on Biden and misinformation regarding Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections by withholding military aid.[40] Trump's second impeachment by the House occurred on January 13, 2021, for "incitement of insurrection" owing to his role in the January 6 United States Capitol attack. As Trump was acquitted by the Senate in both cases, Trump is not barred from seeking reelection to the presidency in 2024.[41]

The Colorado Supreme Court,[42] a state Circuit Court in Illinois,[43] and the Secretary of State of Maine[44] ruled that Trump is ineligible to hold office under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution for his role in the January 6 Capitol attack, and thus attempted to disqualify him from appearing on the ballot.[45][44] These attempts were unsuccessful, as on March 4, 2024, the United States Supreme Court unanimously ruled that states cannot determine eligibility for a national election under Section 3.[46]

Election interference

Main article: Election interference

Further information: Republican efforts to restrict voting following the 2020 presidential election, Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election, and January 6 United States Capitol attack

Donald Trump's false claims of interference

Further information: Election denial movement in the United States, Big lie § Donald Trump's lies of a stolen election, and Republican Party efforts to disrupt the 2024 United States presidential election

To sow election doubt, Trump escalated use of "rigged election" and "election interference" statements in advance of the 2024 election compared to the previous two elections. The statements have been described as part of a "heads I win; tails you cheated" rhetorical strategy.[47]

Trump has made false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, and has continued denying the election results as of September 2024.[48][49] Election security experts have warned that officials who deny the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election, may attempt to impede the voting process, or refuse to certify the 2024 results.[50] The New York Times has reported that "the Republican Party and its conservative allies are engaged in an unprecedented legal campaign targeting the American voting system", by restricting voting for partisan advantage ahead of Election Day and preparing to mount "legally dubious" challenges against the certification process if Trump loses.[51]

In the lead up to the 2024 election, the Republican Party has made false claims of massive "noncitizen voting" by immigrants, in an attempt to delegitimize the election in the event of a Trump defeat.[52][53][54] The claims have been made as part of larger Republican Party efforts to disrupt the 2024 United States presidential election and election denial movement.[55] Trump has continued spreading his "Big Lie" of a stolen election and has predicted without evidence that the 2024 election would be rigged against him. Trump has falsely accused Biden of "weaponizing" the Justice Department to target him in relation to his criminal trials.[47] Trump and several Republicans have stated they will not accept the results of the 2024 election if they believe they are "unfair."[56]

Trump's previous comments suggesting he can "terminate" the Constitution to reverse his election loss,[57][58] his claim that he would only be a dictator on "day one" of his presidency and not after,[d] his promise to use the Justice Department to go after his political enemies,[65] his plan to use the Insurrection Act of 1807 to deploy the military in Democratic cities and states,[66][67] attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election, continued Republican efforts to restrict voting following the 2020 presidential election, Trump's baseless predictions of voter fraud in the 2024 election,[68] and Trump's public embrace and celebration of the January 6 United States Capitol attack,[69] have raised concerns over the state of democracy in America.[70][71][72][73] Trump's political operation said that it plans to deploy more than 100,000 attorneys and volunteers to polling places across battleground states, with an "election integrity hotline" for poll watchers and voters to report alleged voting irregularities.[74]

Interference by foreign nations

Main article: Foreign interference in the 2024 United States elections

Before the election, current and former U.S. officials stated that foreign interference in the 2024 election was likely. Three major factors cited were "America's deepening domestic political crises, the collapse of controversial attempts to control political speech on social media, and the rise of generative AI."[75] China, Russia, and Iran have since all been identified as mounting influence operations and attempts to interfere with the 2024 election. US intelligence officials have described the efforts as part of broader efforts by authoritarian nations to use the internet to erode support for democracy.[76]

China

Further information: Chinese interference in the 2024 United States elections

China has been identified as interfering with the 2024 election through propaganda and disinformation campaigns linked to its Spamouflage operation. US intelligence agencies described the effort as not targeting any particular candidate, but focusing on issues important to the Chinese government such as Taiwan, and "undermining confidence in elections, voting, and the U.S. in general."[76] As early as April 1, 2024, The New York Times reported that the Chinese government had created fake pro-Trump accounts on social media "promoting conspiracy theories, stoking domestic divisions and attacking President Biden ahead of the election in November."[77]

Russia

Further information: Russian interference in the 2024 United States elections

According to disinformation experts and intelligence agencies, Russia spread disinformation ahead of the 2024 election to damage Biden and Democrats, boost candidates supporting isolationism, and undercut support for Ukraine aid and NATO.[78][79] On September 4, 2024, the United States publicly accused Russia of interfering in the 2024 election and announced several steps to combat Russian influence including sanctions, indictments, and seizing of web domains used to spread propaganda and disinformation. American intelligence agencies have assessed that Russia prefers Trump to win the election, viewing him as more critical of U.S. support for Ukraine.[80]

Iran

Further information: Iranian interference in the 2024 United States elections

Iran has been identified as interfering with the 2024 presidential election through front companies connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps through hacking attempts against the Trump, Biden, and Harris campaigns starting as early as May 2024.[81] Iran has launched propaganda and disinformation campaigns through fake news websites and accounts on social media to tip the election against former president Trump. The New York Times stated the efforts were an attempt at "sowing internal discord and discrediting the democratic system in the United States more broadly in the eyes of the world."[82][81][83]

Voter roll purges

Further information: Republican efforts to restrict voting following the 2020 presidential election

Multiple Republican-led administrations have removed voters from their state's voter rolls in the lead up to the election, which critics have argued violates the National Voter Registration Act.[84][85][86]

In July 2024, 160,000 inactive or infrequent voters were removed from Ohio's voter rolls.[87][88] The Ohio chapters of Common Cause and the League of Women Voters threatened lawsuits against the state over the purge.[89][90]

In August 2024, Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin signed an executive order removing 6,303 voters suspected of being non-citizens from Virginia's voter rolls.[91][92] In October 2024, the Department of Justice sued the Virginia Board of Elections and Virginia commissioner of elections over the voter purge, alleging that it violated the National Voter Registration Act.[93][94] The suit also found a number of alleged non-citizens purged were actually citizens.[94][95] District judge Patricia Tolliver Giles ruled that the removal was illegal, ordering the state to stop purging voter rolls and to restore the voter registration of more than 1,600 voters who had been removed.[96][95] The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals then upheld the order.[97][98] The administration filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court, which sided with Virginia in a 6–3 decision, allowing the state to continue purging voter rolls.[99][98]

In August 2024, Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen announced a process for purging 3,251 registered Alabama voters and referred them to the state attorney general's office for criminal prosecution.[85][100] In September 2024, the Department of Justice sued Alabama for violating the National Voter Registration Act.[101][102] In October 2024, district judge Anna Manasco ruled in favor of the Department of Justice, ordering the state to restore the voter registrations.[103][104] Alabama secretary of state's chief of staff Clay Helms testified that 2,000 of the purged voters were legally registered citizens.[104]

Criminal trials and indictments against Donald Trump

Main article: Indictments against Donald Trump

Further information: Federal prosecution of Donald Trump (election obstruction case), Georgia election racketeering prosecution, Federal prosecution of Donald Trump (classified documents case), Prosecution of Donald Trump in New York, and Personal and business legal affairs of Donald Trump

Trump has been found liable in civil proceedings for both sexual abuse and defamation in 2023 and defamation in 2024, while also being criminally convicted of 34 felonies related to falsifying business records, expected to be an issue during the campaign. He has four criminal indictments totaling 91 felony counts and there are other lawsuits against Trump.[105] On May 30, Trump was found guilty by a jury of all 34 felony counts in The People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump over falsifying business records for hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, to ensure her silence about a sexual encounter between them, to influence the 2016 presidential election. This makes Trump the first former U.S. president to be convicted of a crime in American history.[106] Trump and many Republicans have made numerous false and misleading statements regarding Trump's criminal trials, including false claims that they are "rigged" or "election interference" orchestrated by Biden and the Democratic Party, of which there is no evidence.[107][47]

Classified intelligence material found inside Mar-a-Lago

Trump faces an additional 57 felony counts; four counts in a United States of America v. Donald J. Trump for his alleged role in attempting to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election and involvement in the January 6 United States Capitol attack; 10 counts in The State of Georgia v. Donald J. Trump, et al. for his alleged attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 United States presidential election in Georgia; 40 counts in United States of America v. Donald J. Trump, Waltine Nauta, and Carlos De Oliveira relating to his hoarding of classified documents and alleged obstruction of efforts to retrieve them.[108]

In addition to his indictments, on May 9, 2023, Trump was found liable by an anonymous jury[109] for sexual abuse/rape[e][f] in E. Jean Carroll v. Donald J. Trump and ordered to pay a total of $88.3 million combined for damages and defamation.[115][116][117] In September 2023, Trump was found guilty of financial fraud and ordered to pay a $457 million judgement currently on appeal.[118]

According to an April 2024 Reuters/Ipsos poll, the percentage of registered voters who found Trump's charges somewhat to very serious in the federal elections case was 74%, 72% in the Georgia case, 69% in the classified documents case, and 64% in the New York hush money case.[119] Nearly a quarter of Republican voters said they would not vote for Trump if found guilty of a felony by a jury.[118] Following his hush money conviction, 15% of likely Republican voters and 49% of independents stated they wanted Trump to drop out, and 54% of registered voters approved of the jury's decision.[120] Polling also found 56% of Republicans who were unchanged by the verdict, and 35% of Republicans and 18% of independents who stated they were more likely to vote for Trump.[121]

Trump has been noted for attempting to delay his trials until after the November election. If Trump wins the election in November, then on January 20, 2025, Trump could order a new attorney general to dismiss the federal charges he is facing, prevent the state charges from taking affect through a variety of methods, and issue a presidential self-pardon.[122][123]

On July 1, 2024, the US Supreme Court delivered its 6–3 decision in Trump v. United States, along ideological lines, ruling that Trump had absolute immunity for acts he committed as president within his core constitutional purview, at least presumptive immunity for official acts within the outer perimeter of his official responsibility, and no immunity for unofficial acts.[124][125][126] Thus, Trump's sentencing date for his convictions in New York was delayed from July to September 2024,[127] and then to November 26,[128] and the trial dates in Trump's other cases will likely be delayed as well, to review the applicability of the Supreme Court's decision.[129][130]

Notes

New York Penal Law defines rape as vaginal penetration by the penis, which Carroll stated perhaps entered only "halfway".[110][111][112][113]

A state law passed in late January 2024 expanded the state's legal definition of rape to include nonconsensual vaginal, anal, and oral contact, effective non-retroactively beginning in September 2024.[114]

Calculated by taking the difference of 100% and all other candidates combined.

Kennedy dropped out of the race in August 2024, though he remains on the ballot in most states.

The FiveThirtyEight forecast[524] and The Economist[525] each rate only a handful of states as "safe." States rated safe by all other forecasts but FiveThirtyEight and The Economist are omitted.