Roller coaster. That’s the best way I can describe the 2024 Presidential Election.

I started following the race in earnest on June 27, 2024. On this particular evening, I sat down with my dad at my parents’ home and watched the Joe Biden vs. Donald Trump debate. It was my belief that prior to this encounter, the election was Biden’s to lose. But it was apparent from the beginning that something was off with the President that night. My dad and I swapped confused glances throughout the 90-minute back-and-forth. Trump might have a chance, I thought.

Then a couple weeks later, Trump was nearly killed on live television. From my standpoint as a human being, the incident rattled me. No matter what side of the aisle you sit on, it was tough not to admire the way Trump reacted and carried himself as the Secret Service agents brought him to his feet. A couple days later, the former President appeared in Milwaukee at the Republican National Convention. People tuned in and saw a man still committed to leading the country despite nearly losing his life. There was no doubt about it, Trump had seized momentum.

Several days later, Biden stepped down from his re-election bid. He endorsed Kamala Harris in his place and immediately the Democratic Party was injected with a major dose of energy. Seemingly overnight, the Vice President was now the front runner.

In August and September, the momentum seemed to be with Kamala Harris. She bested Trump in a debate and it looked like Harris would just have to run out the clock to become the 47th President.

But in October, the tide shifted. A masterful debate performance by J.D. Vance against Tim Walz and continued negative campaigning by Vice President Harris changed the scope of the race. Suddenly, Donald Trump seemed to ascend to the top of the polls. Could #45 also become #47?

Then it happened again. Toward the end of October and into the beginning of November, Kamala gained the upper hand. An ill-advised joke at a Trump rally and criticism from his ex-cabinet members closed whatever gap Trump maintained throughout most of October. On the eve of Election Day, Nate Silver proclaimed that more simulations favored Vice President Harris.

When polls started to close last Tuesday, exit polls pointed to an interesting result: most people claimed that the issue most important to them was democracy. This was interpreted as good news for Harris and most talking heads assumed it would be a long night for Trump.

But then the improbable happened. When votes came in, they leaned red. Well, no, they didn’t just lean red—they overwhelmingly shined Republican red. The understanding that it would probably take until the weekend to declare a President-elect turned out to be a farce. In a landslide, Donald Trump was projected as the 47th President of the United States on Election Night.

President-elect Trump won in a landslide, securing victory in all battleground states.

What happened?

Well, as a non-partisan blogger I don’t have anything passionate to write about one way or the other. But I think I can point out a few reasons for why we saw the result that we did.

– Once again, polls overwhelmingly underestimated the support of President-elect Trump. Despite promises from pollsters that 2024 polls accounted for errors of the past, that wasn’t the case.

– We were fed a narrative by the media that wasn’t true. It was proclaimed on most networks that Vice President Harris was running a campaign of joy and that Trump’s message of anger/concern wasn’t resonating.

– It was assumed that pop culture would catapult Harris to the presidency. She had Beyonce and Springsteen along with legions of young voters who would carry her to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

As political scientists breakdown what happened last week, the verdict seems to be this: Americans are more concerned about the economy and immigration than the platform that Harris championed. Also, people feel burned and slighted from the past four years and want change.

So where do we go from here? Well, we need to come together. President-elect Trump, Vice President-elect Vance, and their supporters need to be gracious in victory and help our country heal. President Biden and Vice President Harris have admirably stated that the people have spoken and they will honor their choice. The bickering and finger-pointing between Democrats about who to blame for the devastating defeat needs to cool down. We all need to be kind human beings and respect those who don’t agree with us.

Moving forward, I will reiterate what I have said all along. Let’s pray for the safety of our elected leaders—both current and future. God Bless America. Don’t Blink.