There are many people who want to be President, each with their own ideas about how the government should work. Those with similar ideas form political parties. Candidates from each party campaign through the country to win support from their party members. Each political party holds a series of voting events called primaries and caucuses to select state delegates who will vote for their final presidential candidate at the national convention. If a candidate gets enough votes to win the majority of electoral college votes, he or she becomes the president.
Early in 2024, multiple polls suggested that Harris and Trump were tied nationally and in key swing states. But when the votes were counted on Election Day, Trump won a clear victory in both the national popular vote and in the Electoral College.
As in previous elections, a large share of eligible adults did not vote. However, of those who did, most voted for the same candidate in 2024 as they had in 2020. Of those who voted in 2024 but did not vote in 2020, a majority backed Harris and fewer favored Trump.
In the Democratic race, Harris built on the progressive platform that won her a decisive victory in the primary contests. Like her rival, she promised to fight for lower costs for housing, food and childcare. But she also emphasized the importance of bipartisanship and the need to address economic inequality.