Politics in 2024 in numbers: NPR

This year has been an important year for politics. Overcoming concerns about prices and immigration, Donald Trump will win the 2024 presidential election and return to the White House. He becomes the first president to win non-consecutive terms since Grover Cleveland in the 19th century.

He survived an assassination attempt, but a second assassination attempt was thwarted by the Secret Service, and President Biden withdrew from the campaign late in the campaign.

Here are some numbers that defined this turbulent year in American politics.

155 million

More than 155 million people voted in the 2024 presidential election. This is the second largest election in U.S. history, after the 2020 election. Turnout in 2024 was 63.9% of eligible voters, the second highest percentage in the past 100 years, according to the University of Florida Election Research Institute. The only year it was higher was 2020, also when universal mail-in voting became more widely available.

71%

Percentage of the electorate made up of white voters. This may be the most important number of the election, as it represents an increase in the proportion of white voters. Something like this hasn’t happened since 1992. It would be surprising to see that reversed in this election, as the white electorate has been steadily declining since the turn of the century, and the white electorate is a growing number of Latino and AAPI voters. This is a big reason why Trump won. Much of the additional boost came from white voters without degrees, whose share of the vote rose by four points, giving Trump two-thirds of the vote.

46%

Percentage of Latinos Trump won. This is the highest approval rating a Republican has ever received from Latinos, despite Trump’s disparaging comments about immigrants. Trump’s support among Latinos changed by 28 points, but this was largely driven by Latino men, who gained him 41 points.

$1.2 billion

According to AdImpact, the amount of money spent on political advertising across all political races in Pennsylvania includes $620 million in the presidential election alone. No state has ever spent more than $1 billion in advertising.

49.8%

President Trump’s general voter turnout. This is not an “unprecedented” or “powerful mandate,” as President Trump claims, but presidents can be overconfident about winning elections and how much political capital they have. many.

38%

President Biden’s average approval rating just before Election Day. When the incumbent president’s approval ratings are so low, it is difficult for the party in power to do well. His age, 81, also played a big role in whether he won re-election or stayed in the race. In the end, he was unable to do so, and his chosen successor, Vice President Harris, was also defeated.

7,309

The number of votes that determined control of the House of Representatives in close districts in Iowa, Colorado and Pennsylvania. Despite Mr. Trump winning the White House and Republicans controlling the House and flipping the Senate, Republicans will only have a narrow majority, which could make governing difficult for the incoming administration.

76%

According to exit polls, the percentage of people who say their personal financial situation has worsened or is the same as it was four years ago. It is difficult for the incumbent party to win when views on the economy are so negative and personal.

2.1 million

Number of migrants encountered at the Southwest border in fiscal year 2024 (October 2023 to September 2024). This was actually lower than in 2022 and 2023, but the narrative that the Biden administration was not doing enough to stop border crossings and was slow to respond stuck with many voters. Ta.

23 million

The approximate number of women living in states with restrictive abortion laws, or one in three women of reproductive age in the country.

1,500

Biden’s pardons are the most in a single day in history. Biden also commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row. Although these acts of clemency broke records, Biden’s decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, sparked controversy. Many Democrats were outraged by Biden’s suggestion that political pressure influenced the investigation and compromised the integrity of the Justice Department.

17

The number of points won by voters with an annual income of less than $100,000 shifted in Mr. Trump’s favor. The country is undergoing a political realignment, with working-class voters leaning more toward the Republican Party and wealthier, more educated voters moving toward the Democratic Party. Four years ago, Mr. Biden won 56% to 43% of voters earning less than $100,000 a year, but in this election Mr. Trump won 51% to 47%. Conversely, in 2020, Trump won by 12 points among people making $100,000 a year four years ago, and Harris won by 4 points this time.

88

The number of felonies he faced during the four criminal cases filed against Trump. He was 34 years old and was sentenced in New York for charges including deceptive business practices. The case stems from a 2016 hush-money payment to a porn star to cover up an alleged sexual encounter. Trump’s election averted the ruling. Three other cases never went to trial because of successful delay efforts by Trump’s lawyers and the ethics scandal in Georgia. After the election, federal prosecutor Jack Smith dropped the remaining two cases. One case related to the Jan. 6 siege of the Capitol, and the other involved classified documents. President Trump entering his second term will likely see fewer guardrails in place, as the Supreme Court has said that presidents have a presumption of presumed immunity for any official act.

2

Number of attempts on Trump’s life. The photo of President Trump with a bloody ear and his fist raised has become a symbol of this year’s campaign.

$277 million

That’s a staggering amount of money Elon Musk has spent supporting Trump and his supporters. The world’s richest man is leading President Trump’s efforts to cut government spending in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which Musk appointed. Mr. Musk has interests in everything from Tesla to SpaceX to messaging platform X, and is heavily invested in how governments decide on funding and regulation.