2024 United States Elections (Wolfman's World)

The 2024 United States Elections took place on November 5, 2024. Up for election were the 33 Class I United States Senate seats and all 435 members of the United States House of Representatives, as well as a Senate Special Election in North Carolina. Also included was the race to pick the 47th President of the United States.

Democratic Primary
Throughout his term, President Joe Biden had stated that he would seek a second term in office, despite being 78 when he was sworn in. But in November 2023, President Biden announced that due to advice from doctor's he would not seek a second term in the White House. 1 month later, Vice President Kamala Harris announced her candidacy. She faced minimal opposition and was easily nominated at the 2024 DNC in Chicago. She chose Andy Beshear, the Governor of Kentucky, as her running mate.

Republican Primary
The Biden Administration had been kind to republicans, giving them talking points that they thought could stop a second term of democratic rule. Donald Trump, the former President who Biden had defeated in 2020, would have run, but he was tied up in tax trouble and sexual assault allegations in NY. He did still wield a lot of power within the party, and although several pro-Trump candidates ran, he endorsed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. With the anti-Trump republicans unable to unite around a candidate, DeSantis was awarded the nomination at the RNC in Miami. He chose Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Senator, as his running mate.

General Election
The campaign was bitterly fought. Kamala Harris mainly campaigned on Biden's success, saying that if Trump had been re-elected, the pandemic would have gone on for longer. She cited the quick return to normal life under Biden, and also praised his large infrastructure package, which had been passed through budget reconciliation in late 2021. She also praised the American Families Act, portions of which had already passed. Harris attacked DeSantis, claiming that he was just a Trump lackey. DeSantis campaigned on his handling of the pandemic in Florida, saying that Biden had made too many missteps. And as all Republican candidates do, he tried to brand Harris and Beshear as far-left socialists. DeSantis was considered to have had the better showing in the first debate, but Harris rebounded in the second and third debates. Both Beshear and Cotton performed well in the Vice-Presidential debate. Going into Election Day, the race was deadlocked. Eventually, Harris and Beshear triumphed, winning all the states that Biden and Harris had won in 2020, and also flipped North Carolina, putting their total to 319 electoral votes. DeSantis and Cotton recieved 219 electoral votes. Harris also won the popular vote by over 5 points. Kamala Harris was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States of America on January 20th, 2025. She was the first female and first Asian-American President. Andy Beshear became the 50th Vice President.

Senate Elections
The 2024 United States Senate elections were held on November 5, 2024, with 33 of the 100 seats in the Senate being contested in regular elections, the winners of which would serve six-year terms in the United States Congress from January 3, 2025, to January 3, 2031. Senators are divided into three groups, or classes, whose terms are staggered so that a different class is elected every two years. Class I senators were last elected in 2018, and were up for election again in 2024. Of the Class I Senators up for re-election, 21 were members of the Democratic Party, 10 were Republicans, and 2 were Independents. Democrats had expanded their lead in 2022, and would hold it in place once again. President Joe Biden had remained popular in the second half of his term, and this benefited Democratic candidates nationwide. This cycle also saw the retirement of both incumbent Independent Senators. Angus King was replaced by a Democrat, and Bernie Sanders was replaced by a Progressive who caucused with them. However, newly elected Senator Tulsi Gabbard (I-HI) registered as an independent while caucusing with Democrats.

House Elections
The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections were held on November 8, 2022, with all of the 435 seats in the chamber being contested in regular elections, the winners of which would serve two-year terms in the United States Congress from January 3, 2025, to January 3, 2027. The Democrats were able to flip the House back, with help from President Harris in key states. This gave Democrats complete control of government. President Harris's large victory in the popular vote was crucial in defeating the advantage that Republicans had gained following the 2020 round of redistricting. Following this election, Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) made history as the first black Speaker of the House.