100-714: Republican Accountability ( RA ), formerly Republican Accountability Project ( RAP ) and, for the current presidential election , Republican Voters Against Trump ( RVAT ), is a political initiative launched in May 2020 by Defending Democracy Together for the 2020 U.S. presidential election cycle . The project was formed to produce a US$ 10 million advertising campaign focused on 100 testimonials by Republicans , conservatives , moderates, right-leaning independent voters , and former Trump voters explaining why they would not vote for Donald Trump in 2020. By August 2020, they had collected 500 testimonials. On January 29, 2021, it transitioned to
200-438: A campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania . Trump was shot and wounded on his right ear by Thomas Matthew Crooks , a 20-year-old man from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania , who fired eight rounds with an AR-15–style rifle from the roof of a building located approximately 400 feet (120 metres) from the stage; the shots killed audience member Corey Comperatore and critically injured two other audience members. Seconds later, Crooks
300-491: A central campaign focus. Trump's campaign focused on dark and apocalyptic rhetoric about the state of the country and predicting doom if he did not win. The Associated Press stated that "Trump's rallies take on the symbols, rhetoric and agenda of Christian nationalism ." During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump made numerous false and misleading statements . The large number of lies and false statements have been attributed to Trump's rhetorical style described as using
400-703: A decisive victory in the Electoral College , winning 312 electoral votes to Harris' 226. Trump won every swing state in addition to holding on to all of the states that he won in 2020. Trump flipped six states that had voted Democratic in 2020: Arizona , Georgia , Michigan , Nevada , Pennsylvania , and Wisconsin . Trump won the national popular vote with 49.83%, making him the first Republican to do so since George W. Bush in 2004 . He improved his vote share among working class voters, particularly among young men, those without college degrees, and Hispanic voters. Having previously won in 2016 , Trump became
500-557: A greater extent than any modern American president. Trump also espoused dehumanizing, combative, and violent rhetoric, and promised retribution against his political enemies. Trump played down but refused to rule out violence following the 2024 election, stating "it depends". Trump also suggested using the military against "the enemy from within" on Election Day that he described as "radical left lunatics", Democratic politicians, and those opposeed to his candidacy. On July 13, 2024, Trump survived an assassination attempt while addressing
600-619: A majority Republican town in central Pennsylvania. She is a 2002 graduate of Kenyon College , where she studied political science. After graduation from Kenyon College in 2002, Longwell worked for the Intercollegiate Studies Institute , a conservative group in Delaware . In 2005, Longwell moved to Washington, D.C. , where she found a job with Richard Berman , a Republican lobbyist and later PR expert who runs several industry-funded nonprofit lobbying and PR organizations. Over
700-545: A majority of voters polled after the first debate thought that Trump, who is 78 years old, was too old to serve a second term (51%, 57%, and 60%), with 80% unsure he would be able to finish out a second term. During and after Trump's presidency, comments on his age, weight, lifestyle, and history of heart disease raised questions about his physical health. In addition, numerous public figures, media sources, and mental health professionals speculated that Trump may have some form of dementia , which runs in his family. Experts for
800-509: A particular party. Because of the winner-take-all selection of electors used by 48 states and Washington DC, this means that a limited number of swing states—competitive states that do not clearly lean towards one party over the other—are vital to winning the presidency. The U.S. states considered as such change over time. The seven swing states in the 2024 election were the Rust Belt states of Wisconsin , Michigan , and Pennsylvania , as well as
900-463: A person to serve as president, the individual must be a natural-born citizen of the United States , be at least 35 years of age, 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
1000-630: A political candidate has ever said in American history. Abortion access was a key topic during the campaign. This was the first presidential election to be held in the aftermath of the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision, in which the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade , leaving abortion law entirely to the states, including bans on abortion. The three justices appointed by former president Trump— Amy Coney Barrett , Brett Kavanaugh , and Neil Gorsuch —all voted to overturn
1100-556: A second term, with nearly half citing his age as the reason. Biden's approval rating stood at 41 percent, with 55 percent disapproving according to the FiveThirtyEight national polling average. Speculation also arose that Biden might face a primary challenge from the Democratic Party's progressive faction ; however, after Democrats outperformed expectations in the 2022 midterm elections , many believed Biden's chances of securing
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#17330929777721200-634: A session of the "Meeting of the Concerned," a quasi-secret group of Republicans who were unhappy with the direction their party had taken, where she met Bill Kristol . After the firing of FBI Director James Comey , which triggered the Mueller investigation , Kristol and Longwell formed Republicans for the Rule of Law . In 2018, she launched a nonprofit organization in response to President Donald Trump 's attacks on Robert Mueller . The group, Defending Democracy Together ,
1300-483: A sexual encounter between them , to influence the 2016 presidential election. This made Trump the first former U.S. president to be convicted of a crime in American history. 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
1400-606: A statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on November 15, 2022, and announced his candidacy in a speech at Mar-a-Lago the same day. Trump was considered an early frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination. Trump had announced in March 2022 that his former vice president Mike Pence would not be his running mate. Trump faced opposition in the primaries. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
1500-455: A substantial minority of White Republicans were concerned about White demographic decline . In 2023 and early 2024, a surge of migrants entering through the border with Mexico occurred. By June 2024, illegal crossings reached a three-year low following four consecutive monthly drops, which senior officials attributed to increased enforcement between the United States and Mexico, the weather, and Biden's executive order ( A Proclamation on Securing
1600-460: A virtual roll call vote on August 2, where Harris secured the majority of delegate votes and became the official nominee on August 5. She selected Walz as her running mate the following day. This is the first presidential election to occur after the reapportionment of votes in the Electoral College following the 2020 United States census and redistricting cycle. Most states are not electorally competitive and are usually certain to vote for
1700-478: Is a prominent voice in the Never Trump movement . She was instrumental in founding Defending Democracy Together, an umbrella organization for Republican Voters Against Trump , Republicans for the Rule of Law , and other anti-Trump projects. Longwell advocated for the impeachment and removal of President Trump in 2019, and for his impeachment and conviction in 2021. In 2017, Longwell was invited to participate in
1800-742: Is in custody. Since the 2020 election and continuing into the 2024 election, the election denial movement prompted thousands of death threats directed at election workers, officials, and their families, with some receiving letters laced with fentanyl . As of March 2024, the Department of Justice's Election Threats Task Force had charged 20 people with threat-related crimes. In September 2024, suspicious packages were sent to state election officials in Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, Tennessee, and Wyoming, which resulted in evacuations in several states. The inclusion of white powder in most of
1900-904: Is no evidence. Trump faces an additional 52 felony counts: 4 counts in 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 ; 8 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 ; and 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. In addition to his indictments, Trump
2000-507: Is permitted by South Carolina law. Also on November 1, a man in Bath, New York , was arrested for assaulting someone in a supermarket for wearing a Trump hat. In late October 2024, multiple fires were reported at ballot drop boxes in Portland, Oregon , and Vancouver, Washington . The fires damaged hundreds of ballots, requiring election officials to identify and offer new ballots to those affected by
2100-410: The 2020 United States presidential election . These concerns increased after a poor performance by Biden during a debate against Trump in the 2024 presidential election, which led a number of commentators and some Democratic lawmakers to call for Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race. In July 2024, Biden withdrew his candidacy while stating that he would continue serving as president until
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#17330929777722200-634: The Chinese government , such as Taiwan, and "undermining confidence in elections, voting, and the U.S. in general". 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". According to disinformation experts and intelligence agencies, Russia spread disinformation ahead of
2300-500: The Electoral College . The incumbent president, Joe Biden of the Democratic Party, initially ran for re-election as the party's presumptive nominee , facing little opposition; however, what was broadly considered a poor debate performance in June 2024 intensified concerns about his age and health , and led to calls within his party for him to leave the race. After initially declining to do so, Biden withdrew on July 21, becoming
2400-525: The Iowa caucuses , in which Trump posted a landslide victory, DeSantis and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump, leaving the former president and Nikki Haley , the former South Carolina governor who served in Trump's cabinet , as the only remaining major candidates. Trump continued to win all four early voting contests while Haley's campaign struggled to gain momentum. On March 6, 2024,
2500-532: The League of Women Voters threatened lawsuits against the state over the purge. In August 2024, Governor Glenn Youngkin of Virginia signed an executive order removing 6,303 voters suspected of being non-citizens from Virginia's voter rolls. In October 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice sued the Virginia Board of Elections and Virginia commissioner of elections over the voter purge, alleging that it violated
2600-519: The National Voter Registration Act . The suit also found a number of alleged non-citizens purged were actually citizens. 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. The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals then upheld the order. The administration filed an emergency appeal to
2700-584: The Republican National Convention in Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Florida and Pennsylvania. After the election, the lame duck president questioned the legitimacy of the results and encouraged his supporters to demonstrate in support of overturning the results. After the 2021 storming of the US Capitol , RVAT transitioned to RAP, assessing legislators on their willingness to support
2800-568: The Republican primaries . The Trump campaign was noted for making many false and misleading statements , including the claim that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump, engaging in anti-immigrant fearmongering , and promoting conspiracy theories . Trump's political movement was described by several historians and former Trump administration officials as authoritarian , featuring parallels to fascism and using dehumanizing rhetoric toward his political opponents. According to polls,
2900-501: The Sun Belt states of Arizona , Georgia , Nevada , and North Carolina . Trump secured victory in all seven states. The three Midwestern swing states had historically been part of the " blue wall " ever since Bill Clinton 's win in 1992 , but broke for Trump in 2016 , when he had previously faced a female Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton . Harris framed her campaign as "a choice between freedom and chaos" and based it around
3000-483: The U.S. Supreme Court , which sided with Virginia in a 6–3 decision along ideological lines , allowing the state to continue purging voter rolls. 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. In September 2024, the Department of Justice sued Alabama for violating
3100-465: The " big lie " and firehose of falsehood propaganda technique. Trump also made many personal attacks against Harris, several of which were sexual in nature, were characterized as racist and misogynistic, and were considered a further breach of political norms. Trump's harsher rhetoric against his political enemies has been described by historians, scholars, commentators and former generals as populist, authoritarian, fascist , and unlike anything
Republican Accountability - Misplaced Pages Continue
3200-529: The 2020 presidential election , Trump's baseless predictions of voter fraud in the 2024 election, and Trump's public embrace and celebration of the January 6 United States Capitol attack , raised concerns over the state of democracy in the United States . Trump's political operation said that it planned 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. Before
3300-568: The 2024 election and election denial movement. Trump continued spreading his "big lie" of a stolen election and predicted without evidence that the 2024 election would be rigged against him. Trump also falsely accused Biden of "weaponizing" the Justice Department to target him in relation to his criminal trials . Trump and several Republicans stated they would not accept the results of the 2024 election if they believe they are "unfair". Trump's previous comments suggesting he can "terminate"
3400-475: The 2024 election to damage Biden and Democrats, boost candidates supporting isolationism, and undercut support for Ukraine aid and NATO. 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. U.S. intelligence agencies assessed that Russia preferred Trump to win
3500-535: The 2024 election. The fears came amidst increasing threats and acts of physical violence targeting public officials and election workers at all levels of government. Trump was identified as a key figure in increasing political violence in the United States both for and against him. Political violence was at its highest since the 1970s, and the most recent violence came from right-wing assailants. Trump increasingly embraced far-right extremism , conspiracy theories such as Q-Anon , and far-right militia movements to
3600-447: The 2024 election. U.S. intelligence officials described the efforts as part of broader efforts by authoritarian nations to use the internet to erode support for democracy. China was identified as interfering with the 2024 election through propaganda and disinformation campaigns linked to its Spamouflage operation. U.S. intelligence agencies described the effort as not targeting any particular candidate but focusing on issues important to
3700-540: 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 were to lose. In the lead up to the 2024 election, the Republican Party made false claims of massive "noncitizen voting" by immigrants in an attempt to delegitimize the election in the event of a Trump defeat. The claims were made as part of larger Republican Party efforts to disrupt
3800-666: The Border ) increasing asylum restrictions. Sarah Longwell Sarah Longwell is an American political strategist and publisher of the conservative news and opinion website The Bulwark . A member of the Republican Party , she is the founder of Republican Accountability (originally named Republican Voters Against Trump), which spent millions of dollars to defeat then-President Donald Trump in 2020. According to The New Yorker , Longwell has "dedicated her career to fighting Trump's takeover of her party". Longwell grew up in
3900-615: The Constitution to reverse his election loss, his claim that he would only be a dictator on "day one" of his presidency and not after, his promise to use the Justice Department to go after his political enemies, his plan to use the Insurrection Act of 1807 to deploy the military for law enforcement in cities and states with too much violent crime or drug cartels, attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election , continued Republican efforts to restrict voting following
4000-700: 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, he was not barred from seeking reelection to the presidency in 2024. Several state courts and officials, including the Colorado Supreme Court , a state Circuit Court in Illinois , and the Secretary of State of Maine , ruled that Trump
4100-565: The Log Cabin Republicans endorsed President Trump for re-election and Longwell resigned as board chair. That same year, Longwell left Berman and Company to start her own communications firm, Longwell Partners, headquartered in Washington, D.C. She also became publisher of The Bulwark , a conservative website that opposes President Trump's agenda, bringing together a moderate coalition of traditional conservatives and libertarians. Longwell
Republican Accountability - Misplaced Pages Continue
4200-640: The National Voter Registration Act. In October 2024, district judge Anna Manasco ruled in favor of the Department of Justice, ordering the state to restore the voter registrations. Alabama secretary of state's chief of staff Clay Helms testified that 2,000 of the purged voters were legally registered citizens. Trump was 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
4300-796: The Republican Accountability Project (RAP), which focuses on defending "Republican principles", and attacking Republicans whom they hold responsible for the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol . The organization has purchased ad campaigns to criticize members of the Republican Party, particularly those allegedly involved in the January 6 United States Capitol attack . The advertising campaign targets white college-educated suburban voters in Pennsylvania , Wisconsin , Michigan , Florida , North Carolina and Arizona . Paul Waldman , writing for The Washington Post compared
4400-492: The Trump administration Miles Taylor filmed a spot, calling Trump "dangerous" and saying "What we saw week in and week out, for me, after two and a half years in that administration, was terrifying. We would go in to try to talk to him about a pressing national security issue—cyberattack, terrorism threat—he wasn't interested in those things. To him, they weren't priorities." Later that month another former Homeland Security staffer from
4500-497: The Trump administration, Elizabeth Neumann , made an ad in which she endorsed Biden and called Trump "racist" and "a threat to America." In September, Olivia Troye , former homeland security and counterterrorism advisor to Vice President Pence and aide to the White House Coronavirus Task Force filmed an ad endorsing Biden. In October 2020 former CIA director and retired General Michael Hayden made an ad for
4600-429: The United States to lead our great American comeback." His campaign stated to have raised $ 1 million in the first hour following the announcement of his candidacy. Speaking on Fox & Friends , he stated that he would "destroy leftism" in the United States. At the end of July 2023, FiveThirtyEight ' s national polling average of the Republican primaries had Trump at 52 percent, and DeSantis at 15. Following
4700-428: The United States. Trump claimed credit for overturning Roe but criticized Republicans pushing for total abortion bans. Trump said he would leave the issue of abortion for the states to decide but would allow red states to monitor women's pregnancies and prosecute them if they have an abortion. In his home state of Florida, Trump announced he would vote "No" on Amendment 4 , an abortion rights referendum, preserving
4800-498: The assertions that the election results were not legitimate and their support of the January 6th event and of overturning the election results . In April 2021, the organization released a "GOP democracy report card" which gave 14 members of congress an A and over 100 members an F. They credited 6% of Republicans as consistently supporting democracy, with many of those retiring or losing their seats. In August 2020, former senior official in
4900-560: The authority to disqualify candidates, or to pass legislation that allows courts to do so. Trump made false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election , and continued denying the election results. Election security experts 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. In July 2024, The New York Times reported that "the Republican Party and its conservative allies are engaged in an unprecedented legal campaign targeting
5000-406: The campaign to a similar 1964 Lyndon Johnson ad called " Confessions of a Republican " giving Republicans "permission" to vote against Barry Goldwater in the 1964 presidential election . Ad space purchased on social media and Fox News was scheduled to start the first week of June 2020. An ad produced by RVAT featuring Trump's descriptions of the coronavirus pandemic was planned to air during
5100-506: The campaign. As of December 2023, he had four criminal indictments totaling 86 felony counts and there are other lawsuits against Trump. On May 30, 2024, 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 pornographic film star Stormy Daniels , to ensure her silence about
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#17330929777725200-411: 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
5300-509: The conclusion of his term. According to a February 2024 poll, Biden's age and health were major or moderate concerns for 86% of voters generally, up from 76% earlier in 2020. According to another 2024 poll, most of those who voted for Biden in 2020 believed he was too old to be an effective president; The New York Times noted that these concerns "cut across generations, gender, race and education". According to polling released in July and August,
5400-453: The cost of groceries , housing and healthcare . She also focused on the middle class , and small businesses . Harris' campaign was noted for having an optimistic and joyful tone. A central campaign theme for Trump's second presidential bid was " retribution ". Trump framed the 2024 election as "the final battle", and openly promised to leverage the power of the presidency for political reprisals . Trump heavily ran on immigration as
5500-520: The day after winning only one primary out of fifteen on Super Tuesday , Haley suspended her campaign. On March 12, 2024, Trump officially became the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Trump was injured in an assassination attempt on July 13, 2024, when a bullet grazed his ear. This was the first time a president or major party presidential candidate was injured in an assassination attempt since Ronald Reagan in 1981 . Trump faced another assassination attempt on September 15, 2024, although he
5600-557: 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". Multiple Republican-led administrations removed voters from their state's voter rolls in the lead up to the election, which critics argued violates the National Voter Registration Act . In July 2024, 160,000 inactive or infrequent voters were removed from Ohio 's voter rolls. The Ohio chapters of Common Cause and
5700-417: The election, U.S. officials and former 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 ". China, Russia, and Iran were identified as mounting influence operations and attempts to interfere with
5800-518: The election, viewing him as more critical of American support for Ukraine. Iran was identified as interfering with the 2024 presidential election through front companies connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and hacking attempts against the Trump, Biden, and Harris campaigns starting as early as May 2024. Iran launched propaganda and disinformation campaigns through fake news websites and accounts on social media to tip
5900-618: The electoral mistrust planted by former President Trump's loss in the 2020 election. 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 pressure Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter , by withholding military aid. Trump's second impeachment by
6000-482: The federal charges he is facing, prevent the state charges from taking effect through a variety of methods, and issue a presidential self-pardon. On July 1, 2024, the 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
6100-548: The federal right to an abortion in Dobbs . By April 2023, most Republican -controlled states had passed near-total bans on abortion, rendering it largely illegal throughout much of the southern United States . According to the Kaiser Family Foundation , there are 15 states with de jure early-stage bans on abortion without exceptions for rape or incest . Abortion was on the ballot in up to ten states in 2024, including
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#17330929777726200-473: The fires. Prior to the fires, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security had issued a bulletin raising concerns that "election-related grievances" could motivate domestic extremist activity and that ballot drop boxes could potentially be "attractive targets". In Phoenix, Arizona , a fire was started in a mail collection box, destroying some ballots and other mail. A suspect
6300-412: The first eligible incumbent president to withdraw since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968 . Biden endorsed Harris, who was voted the party's nominee by the delegates on August 5, 2024. Harris selected Walz as her running mate . Trump, who lost in 2020 to Biden, ran for re-election again. He was nominated during the 2024 Republican National Convention along with his running mate, Vance, after winning
6400-507: The first incumbent Democratic member of Congress to say President Biden should not run for re-election and called for "generational change" pointing to Biden's age. Concerns about Biden's age were prominent, given that he was the oldest person to assume the office at age 78, which would make him 82 at the end of his first term and 86 at the end of a potential second term. An April 2023 poll indicated that 70 percent of Americans, including 51 percent of Democrats, believed Biden should not seek
6500-558: The funds to implement such measures. During early voting in San Antonio , Texas, a voter was arrested and charged for allegedly assaulting an elderly poll worker. The worker reportedly asked the man multiple times to remove his MAGA hat at the polling location. In Texas, it is illegal to wear any clothing showing support of political candidates while in a polling location. On October 30, 2024, an 18-year-old man in Jacksonville, Florida ,
6600-452: The group was "waging guerrilla warfare within the GOP". Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin called the pieces "some of the best pro-Biden ads". 2024 United States presidential election Joe Biden Democratic Donald Trump Republican Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 5, 2024. The Republican Party 's ticket — Donald Trump , who
6700-468: The group. In October former GOP congressman Jim Kolbe also made an advertisement. Organizers included Republican political strategist Sarah Longwell , conservative writer Bill Kristol , GOP strategist Mike Murphy , and former Jeb Bush aide Tim Miller . The PAC receives funding from several prominent megadonors including LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman , investor John Pritzker and hedge fund manager Seth Klarman . The Philadelphia Inquirer said
6800-489: The ideals of "freedom" and "the future". The Harris campaign sought to highlight her experience as an attorney general and a prosecutor to "prosecute the case" against Trump by pointing out his 34 felony convictions and the impacts of the overturning of Roe v. Wade . Harris ran as a moderate Democrat who moved towards the center on several policy positions since her 2019 primary run, embracing many of Biden's domestic policy stances. Harris focused her economic proposals on
6900-404: The jury's decision. 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. Trump was noted for attempting to delay his trials until after the November election. If he were to win the election in November, then on January 20, 2025, Trump could order a new attorney general to dismiss
7000-468: The lead-up to the January 6th Capitol riots. As Longwell put it, “The goal is to not allow these officials to memory-hole the fact that they pushed this lie, which incited the attack on the Capitol.” In 2018, Longwell launched The Bulwark , a conservative opinion website, with the help of Kristol and conservative radio host Charlie Sykes . Initially launching as a news aggregator with anti-Trump content,
7100-509: The lowering of the blood alcohol concentration limit for driving under the influence (DUI) in Utah. According to Berman, "Sarah always had a knife in her teeth". Longwell became the first female national board chair of the Log Cabin Republicans . Longwell was instrumental in persuading the Log Cabin Republicans to refrain from endorsing then-candidate Donald Trump in 2016. In 2019,
7200-424: The most important issues for voters were the economy , healthcare , democracy , foreign policy (notably U.S. support for Israel and for Ukraine ), illegal immigration , abortion , and climate change . Education and LGBTQ rights were also prominent issues in the campaign. Polled voters consistently cited the economy as being the single most important issue in the election. Trump achieved
7300-585: The next 15 years she worked at Berman and Company and became senior vice president and communications director, leading media campaigns on a wide range of public policy issues. Longwell also served as managing director of the American Beverage Institute , a trade association set up by Berman that lobbies on behalf of the alcohol industry , such as by arguing that the risks of drunk driving have been exaggerated and laws that have been adopted to reduce it are ineffective or inappropriate and opposing
7400-540: The outer perimeter of his official responsibility, and no immunity for unofficial acts. Thus, Trump's sentencing date for his convictions in New York was delayed from July to September 2024, and then to November 26, and the trial dates in Trump's other cases would likely also be delayed to review the applicability of the Supreme Court's decision. Former president Trump and mass media raised concerns about President Biden's age, including his cognitive state, during and after
7500-574: The packages mirrored the 2001 anthrax attacks ; the substance in the Oklahoma delivery was identified as flour. Threats led some election workers to resign, and affected recruitment of temporary poll workers . Efforts to protect election workers were diverse, and included active shooter training , provision of first aid kits and Narcan , bulletproof vests , bulletproof glass , metal detectors , physical barriers, armed guards, police snipers , drones , and security cameras; however, many locations lack
7600-487: The party's nomination had increased. Author Marianne Williamson was the first to challenge Biden by announcing her candidacy in February 2023. In April 2023, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also entered the race but later shifted his campaign to an independent run on October 9, 2023. Representative Dean Phillips joined the race on October 26, 2023; he withdrew in March 2024 and endorsed Biden. Williamson initially withdrew from
7700-411: The past", and that experts considered this increase in tangential speech and behavioral disinhibition as a possible consequence of advancing age and cognitive decline. Trump was also criticized for his lack of transparency around his medical records and health. Several scholars, lawmakers, intelligence agencies, and the members of the public expressed concerns about political violence surrounding
7800-515: 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. Nearly a quarter of Republican voters said they would not vote for Trump if found guilty of a felony by a jury. 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
7900-623: The presumptive Democratic nominee. Despite securing the nomination, Biden faced significant opposition from uncommitted voters and the Uncommitted National Movement , who collectively garnered more votes than several major contenders in the 2020 Democratic primaries and won 36 delegates. Following a widely panned debate performance against Trump on June 27, 2024, Biden withdrew from the race on July 21, endorsing Harris as his successor. Harris quickly announced her campaign and secured enough delegate endorsements by July 22 to become
8000-439: The presumptive nominee. Biden's withdrawal made him the first eligible incumbent president since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968 not to seek re-election, and the first to withdraw after securing enough delegates to win the nomination. Harris is the first nominee who did not participate in the presidential primaries since Vice President Hubert Humphrey , also in 1968 , and the first since the modern Democratic Party primary procedure
8100-731: 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. 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. 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
8200-466: The race in February 2024 but later resumed her campaign, only to end it again on June 11, 2024. Jason Palmer , who surprised many by winning the American Samoa caucuses , became the first candidate to win a contested primary against an incumbent president since Ted Kennedy in 1980; however, he suspended his campaign on May 15, 2024. On March 12, 2024, Biden secured a majority of delegates, becoming
8300-541: The record saying they, in this moment, stood up against Trump". After Trump's defeat in the 2020 election, Republican Voters Against Trump rebranded itself as the Republican Accountability Project, targeting Republicans who spread falsehoods about the integrity of the election. In January 2021, the group launched a $ 1 million billboard campaign, calling on House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), and others to resign for continuing to support Trump in
8400-546: The science publication STAT who analyzed changes in Trump's speeches between 2015 and 2024 noted shorter sentences, more tangents, more repetition, and more confusion of words and phrases. Doctors suggested it could just be due to changes in mood or it could indicate the beginning of Alzheimer's . The sharp rise in all-or-nothing thinking is also linked to cognitive decline . The New York Times reported that Trump's 2024 speeches had grown "darker, harsher, longer, angrier, less focused, more profane and increasingly fixated on
8500-541: The second president elected to a non-consecutive second term , 132 years after Grover Cleveland defeated Benjamin Harrison in 1892 . Trump won the popular vote by a 1.55% margin, with over 77 million votes. Trump became the best-performing Republican and the second-most votes ever cast for a presidential candidate in U.S. history after Biden in 2020. Article Two of the Constitution of United States states that for
8600-437: The six-week ban. The announcement came one day after he initially criticized the six-week ban for being "too short" and said he would vote to lengthen it. Trump repeated a false claim that Democrats support abortions after birth and "executing" babies. Border security and immigration were among the top issues concerning potential voters in the election. Polling showed that most Americans want to reduce immigration, and that
8700-602: The swing states of Arizona and Nevada. Some pundits argued abortion-rights referenda could help Harris in November. Democrats predominantly advocate for abortion access as a right , while Republicans generally favor significantly restricting the legality of abortion . Since becoming the presumptive nominee, Harris indicated her support for passing legislation which would restore the federal abortion right protections previously guaranteed by Roe . She argued Trump would let his anti-abortion allies implement Project 2025 proposals to restrict abortion and contraception throughout
8800-401: The teenager's party as a "group of young men carrying Trump flags". On November 1, 2024, a voter wearing a " Let's Go Brandon " hat was reportedly struck by a poll worker after a verbal altercation over his hat at an Orangeburg County, South Carolina , polling location. Although it is illegal to wear anything supporting a candidate whose name is on the ballot, wearing a general political message
8900-425: The website revamped into a news and opinion destination, using digital staffers from the now-defunct The Weekly Standard . By 2019, The Bulwark had raised about $ 1 million to establish a "rational, non-Trumpist forum". As publisher of The Bulwark, Longwell often guest-writes columns for the website, analyzing political news of the day and pushing back against the pro-Trump movement. In February 2021, she lamented
9000-399: Was arrested and claimed that the fire was unrelated to the election. Trump, the then-incumbent president, was defeated by Biden in the 2020 election and was not term-limited to run again in 2024, making him the fifth ex-president to seek a second non-consecutive term. When he won, Trump became the second president to win a non-consecutive term, after Grover Cleveland in 1892 . Trump filed
9100-499: Was arrested for aggravated assault and improper exhibition of a dangerous weapon after brandishing a machete at two women outside an early voting center. He along with seven other teenagers, allegedly approached and antagonized members of the opposing political party as they were demonstrating. Neither the teenager's nor the women's political parties were disclosed, although later posts by the Duval Democratic Party described
9200-495: Was created in 1972 (prior to which most states did not hold primary elections). Following Biden's withdrawal, Tim Walz , Josh Shapiro , Mark Kelly , and Andy Beshear emerged as leading candidates in the veepstakes . Shapiro received pushback from pro-Palestine activists for comments on college protesters , as well as for claiming to volunteer for the IDF , while Kelly was criticized by labor groups. The Democratic Party conducted
9300-472: Was found liable on May 9, 2023, by an anonymous jury, in E. Jean Carroll v. Donald J. Trump for sexual abuse/ rape , and ordered to pay a total of $ 88.3 million combined for damages and defamation. In September 2023, Trump was found guilty of financial fraud in New York v. Trump and ordered to pay a $ 457 million judgement that he appealed. According to an April 2024 Reuters / Ipsos poll,
9400-584: Was 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. These attempts were unsuccessful, and on March 4, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Trump v. Anderson that states cannot determine eligibility for a national election under Section 3, and only Congress has
9500-437: Was initially viewed as the main challenger to Trump for the Republican nomination, having raised more campaign funds in the first half of 2022 and posting more favorable polling numbers than Trump by the end of 2022. On May 24, 2023, DeSantis announced his candidacy on Twitter in an online conversation with Twitter CEO Elon Musk . DeSantis said: "American decline is not inevitable—it is a choice ... I am running for president of
9600-485: Was not injured. On July 15, 2024, the first day of the Republican National Convention , Trump officially announced that Senator JD Vance of Ohio would be his running mate. Vance became the first Marine and first Iraq War veteran to be elected as vice president. On July 18, 2024, Trump accepted the nomination from the Republican National Convention to become the Republican presidential nominee. This
9700-680: Was shot and killed by the U.S. Secret Service's counter-sniper team . The motive and cause of the assassination attempt are still under investigation by authorities. On September 11, 2024, a bipartisan Senate report identified tech issues and other preventable mistakes by the Secret Service during the event. On September 15, 2024, Trump survived a separate assassination attempt at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida . The suspect did not fire his weapon, and no deaths or injuries were reported. The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh ,
9800-407: Was the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021, and JD Vance , the junior U.S. senator from Ohio —defeated the Democratic Party 's ticket— Kamala Harris , the incumbent vice president , and Tim Walz , the governor of Minnesota . Trump and Vance are scheduled to be inaugurated as the 47th president and the 50th vice president on January 20, 2025, after their formal election by
9900-648: Was the third consecutive election in which he was the Republican nominee. On April 25, 2023, President Biden officially announced his bid for re-election, confirming that Vice President Harris would remain his running mate. Following this announcement, Republicans increased their focus on Harris, intensifying criticism against her. During late 2021, amid Biden's declining approval ratings, speculation arose regarding whether he would seek re-election. Public figures, including former Representatives Carolyn Maloney , Tim Ryan , and Joe Cunningham , urged Biden not to run. On July 28, 2022, Representative Dean Phillips became
10000-563: Was the umbrella organization for Rule of Law. During the 2020 election, Defending Democracy Together also served as the umbrella organization for Republican Voters Against Trump, which collected testimonials from former Trump supporters and other Republicans who opposed the Trump presidency. The group spent more than $ 35 million to oppose President Trump, promoting those testimonials via social media advertising, billboard campaigns, and other tactics in key battleground states. In Longwell's words: “People want to be counted, people want to be on
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