The Republican Party did not win the 2024 Presidential Election; the Democratic Party lost it

by ALDEN FRIEND

Staff Writer

On Nov. 5, the far-right Republican Party beat the Democratic Party for the presidency and the Senate. The House of Representatives was also called in their favor several days later. This isn’t a majority rule, however, as President-elect Donald Trump clinched just short of 76 million votes according to the Associated Press. The 2024 National Census Survey accounted for nearly 336 million people, 245 million of whom were eligible to vote in the general election, which means that the Republican Party managed to seize power with only 22% of Americans casting votes in their favor, and just shy of 31% of eligible voters. 

The American people aren’t stupid. They aren’t lazy or apathetic, but you have to earn votes if you want to win an election. Claiming that you will be less evil than the opposition doesn’t cut it anymore. This isn’t to say the election was unwinnable; the Harris-Walz campaign could have easily gained 10 or even 20 percent of turnout had they simply distanced themselves from the Biden administration. 

At some point during the Democratic Party’s campaign, the Democratic National Committee made the decision that they could campaign in an attempt to attract far-right voters rather than addressing the material concerns that most Americans face. President Joe Biden stepped down from his reelection campaign in July because both internal and external polling post-debate showed a Democratic victory with him on the ticket being next to impossible, and Vice President Harris became the Democratic nominee for the 2024 presidential election.

As the Harris ticket dragged former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney out on the campaign trail, where they used her to chase the far-right vote, the DNC lost support among Americans whose votes they desperately needed. They tried to out-fascist a fascist by collaborating with far-right figures, espousing a border security bill that would have resulted in the same mass deportations that their campaign claimed to be running against and refusing to show a change of tac on Biden’s horrific foreign policy, especially with regards to Gaza, and they lost because of it. 

The Harris campaign could have gained support in Michigan and Wisconsin by addressing the genocide in Gaza, and they could have gained support from historically apolitical demographics by committing to keeping US troops out of the Middle East, and by discussing pocketbook issues during campaign events and interviews, such as gas prices, inflation, etc. Instead, the Harris-Walz campaign doubled down on the issues that led to such abysmally low approval ratings for the Biden administration, Harris specifically going as far as to say “not a thing comes to mind that I would have done differently.”

Trump campaigned on a promise of bringing gas prices down under $2 per gallon, and even though he never delivered a plan on how to accomplish that or any of his other economic promises, many of his supporters voted for him with the belief that he will address many of the economic issues plaguing the nation. Today, living is simply unaffordable for everyone, and when people can’t afford to drive to work or class, buy groceries or feed their pets, empty promises like these often sound enticing. When they fail to pay their bills, and they fall behind on loans, some people are willing to forfeit their freedom and liberty just for an opportunity to eat. This is how fascism takes hold. 

Fascism isn’t a political ideology. It’s a phenomenon that happens when ideologies decay and break down. In an interview with Vox, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright explains how fascism operates.

“I try to argue that fascism is not an ideology; it’s a process for taking and holding power. A fascist is somebody who identifies with one group — usually an aggrieved majority — in opposition to a smaller group. It’s about majority rule without any minority rights. Which is why fascists tend to single out the smaller group as being responsible for or the cause of their grievances,” said Albright in the interview. 

Most Americans are only a single paycheck away from being destitute, and when things get this bad, people start to look for answers. As the status quo begins to fail, people look for alternatives, and as it stands now, the far-right is the only direction for people to turn.  The Democratic Party had every opportunity to gain support from demographics they desperately needed to win over, and their own insiders could see the writing on the wall, and party leadership still kept their heads buried in the sand. The Republicans didn’t win this election, the Democrats lost it.