Election of 2024 (Durant Scenario)

The 2024 United States elections were held in November 2024. Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer defeated incumbent Republican president Donald Trump in the presidential election. Despite losing seats in the House of Representatives, Democrats retained control of the House and gained control of the Senate. As a result, the Democrats successfully obtained a government trifecta, the first time since the elections in 2008 that the party gained unified control of Congress and the presidency.

The Presidential Election
Whitmer became the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee in early April 2024 after Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez withdrew from the 2024 Democratic Party presidential primaries; Whitmer later chose Cory Booker as her running mate shortly before the 2024 Democratic National Convention. Along with Whitmer and Ocasio-Cortez, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, and Stacey Abrams all won at least ten delegates in the 2024 Democratic presidential primaries. Beyond the two major parties, about 1,200 individuals listed their names with the federal government as third party and independent candidates. President Trump won re-nomination by his party after facing token opposition in the 2024 Republican primaries, many of which were cancelled. The Republican Party also re-nominated Vice President Michael Andrews as Trump's running mate for the 2024 election. The Libertarian and Green Parties nominated the Whitmer-Booker ticket in an effort to oust Trump from office.

Whitmer took 366 electoral votes, making gains in South Carolina, Alaska, Montana, Arizona, Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina. All of these states were won by pluralities due to write-in campaigns in these states to elect Sen. Lisa Murkowski (I-Alaska) to the presidency, though she did not want the job. Trump claimed the election was rigged and never conceded.

Congressional Elections
Democrats made some Senate gains, taking Maine (as Susan Collins ran as an independent and chose to caucus with the Democrats), Texas, and Mississippi (a special election was held with the death of Cindy Hyde-Smith; the position was filled by Democrat Mike Espy, a three-time Senate candidate). No changes were made in the House of Representatives, with Democrats holding a 264-171 majority with Speaker John Mattox being re-elected. Mattox was credited with holding the Democratic Party together and playing kingmaker for Whitmer's campaign.