2024 United States Presidential Election (Bennybop)

The 2024 United States presidential election was the 60th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 6, 2024. Incumbent Democratic President Joe Biden and his running mate, incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris, were re-elected to a second term. They defeated the Republican ticket of Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida and Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin. After inaugurated, Joe Biden became the oldest President to ever hold the office, at 82 years old at the time of his second inauguration and 86 at the end of his second term.

As the incumbent president, Biden secured the Democratic nomination without serious opposition. The Republicans experienced a competitive primary. DeSantis was consistently competitive in the polls and won the support of many party leaders, but he faced challenges from a number of more conservative contenders. DeSantis secured his party's nomination in May, defeating Governor Gregg Abbott, former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, and Kentucky senator Rand Paul, among other candidates.

The campaigns focused heavily on domestic issues, and debate centered largely around sound responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Other issues included long-term federal budget issues, the future of social insurance programs, and the Build Back Better plan, Biden's marquee legislative program. Foreign policy was also discussed, including the end of the Afghanistan War in 2021, military spending, the Iranian nuclear program, and appropriate counteractions to terrorism. The campaign was marked by a sharp rise in fundraising, including from nominally independent Super PACs.

Biden defeated DeSantis, winning a majority of both the Electoral College and the popular vote. Biden won 366 electoral votes and 57.1% of the popular vote compared to DeSantis's 172 electoral votes and 41.2%. Biden was the first incumbent since Ronald Reagan to win both his presidential bids with a majority of the nationwide popular vote (50% or more), and the first Democrat to do so since Barack Obama.

Biden crucially won all 18 "blue wall" states and defeated DeSantis in other swing states the Republicans had won in 2000 and 2004, most notably Colorado, Florida, Ohio, and Virginia. Ultimately, of the nine swing states identified by The Washington Post in the 2024 election, Biden won eight, losing only Iowa. This was the first election since 2012 in which a major party nominee lost his home state since Mitt Romney lost his home state of Massachusetts. It was the most recent presidential election in which an incumbent president was re-elected to a second term. This is also the most recent presidential election when the Democratic candidate won the states of North Carolina, Ohio, and Florida, along with Maine's 2nd congressional district.

All four major candidates for president and vice president went on to hold significant public office after this election. Biden served his second term as president and was succeeded by Ed Markey in 2029. Harris also served her second term as vice president and was succeeded by Markey's running mate, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. DeSantis initially retired from politics and moved back to Florida in 2026 but was later elected to the Senate there in 2028, while Johnson served one more term in the Senate and was defeated in the 2026 Wisconsin Senate elections.