It’s been a little over two months since the 60th Presidential Inauguration took place. On that day, an egocentric, racist, homophobic, sexist, xenophobic, and alleged rapist got sworn in and became the face of the United States of America for the next four years. So, where did America go wrong? I compared each party’s political stances, researched voter demographics, and interviewed an expert to find out why Kamala Harris lost. Here’s my 2024 presidential election analysis.

Varying Political Stances

Regarding their political stances on key issues, Former Vice President Kamala Harris and President Donald Trump couldn’t be any more different. According to the Pew Research Center, three main issues influenced voter decisions. They were the Economy, Healthcare, and Supreme Court Appointments. So, what were the candidates’ views on each issue?

1. ECONOMY

The economy was the number one issue influencing 81% of voters’ decisions. With taxes being one of the biggest selling points in their decision-making. After researching, I concluded that Harris’s tax plan would benefit the working class, while Trump’s tax plan would only benefit the rich. According to his proposals, Trump would cut taxes for 5% of the richest Americans – the billionaires of the country. Meanwhile, everyone else would see a tax increase. Contrastingly, according to Harris’s plan, the 1% of the richest Americans would experience a significant 4.1% tax increase while everyone else receives tax cuts. She aimed to reduce the burden of the average American by targeting high-income earners and corporations.

2. HEALTHCARE

On March 23rd, 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law. This act was famously nicknamed Obamacare, and it aimed to make healthcare affordable for all Americans. As the 45th President, Trump has fought to eliminate this act by attempting to repeal it, issuing executive orders, and even calling it a disaster. However, more recently, it seemed that his negative feelings have softened as he wants to improve it. However, neither he nor his campaign has claimed how. In contrast, throughout Kamala Harris’s role as both senator and vice president, she has supported affordable healthcare access. She has fought to save the ACA and expand Medicaid. In her 2024 election campaign video, she advocated for a future “where we can all afford health care.”

3. SUPREME COURT APPOINTMENTS

When Roe v. Wade was overturned, it seemed that some Americans finally understood the power that the Supreme Court holds. Hence, making appointments was the third most popular reason why they chose their president. President Trump was quite prideful after the overturning as he celebrated appointing three conservative justices who voted with the decision. This is the vast difference between the two. During the Trump-Pence administration, they aimed to select conservative jurists who shared the same malicious beliefs. Meanwhile, during the Biden-Harris administration, they aimed to select diverse jurists.

Voter Demographics

While analyzing the results of the 2024 presidential election, there were some interesting takeaways regarding the demographics of voters. Donald Trump’s biggest voters were White men with 60%, White women with 53%, and Latino men with 54%. Contrastingly, Kamala Harris’s biggest voters were Black men with 77%, Black women with 92%, and Latino women with 58%.

After reviewing the data, it’s clear that there are racial and gender divisions. White people overwhelmingly supported Trump, which shows continued Republican dominance since they make up the majority of that party. Contrastingly, Black people overwhelmingly supported Harris, unsurprisingly since they make up the majority of that party.

However, Latino voters were split, with men favoring Trump and women favoring Harris, showing there is some form of internal conflict in their community. Nonetheless, the results show that race and gender are continuously major factors in U.S. elections.

Conversation with a Sociology Expert

To get a better understanding of the outcome of the 2024 presidential election, I decided to call on an expert. Meet Dr. Alicia Simon, a Sociology professor at Clark Atlanta University. She’s earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Criminal Justice from Southern University and a master’s and doctorate from Clark Atlanta University. With a highly impressive resume, she is more than qualified to help us understand society’s recent political choices. Keep reading to dive into the conversation that I had the privilege of having with her.

Q: How did you feel about Kamala Harris’s campaign?

I commend her for stepping up because it was not yet her turn. The saddest part was that she ran a pretty flawless campaign. She didn’t have two years to run and perfect her platform, but she garnered support that many people did not anticipate. However, the main question is how racist and sexist the United States of America is. She was the most prepared candidate in history, the only one to serve in all three branches of the federal government. She did the best that she could and went far beyond what many thought she would do as the first Black and Asian presidential candidate.

Q: Do you think that her campaign resonated with voters or American voters? Why or why not?

Oh, I certainly did. She galvanized groups that you did not think would band together because everybody understood it was not necessarily about falling in love with her as a candidate. It was about understanding what was at stake with another Trump administration. There were Zoom calls filled with Black women who stepped forward on behalf of her behalf to raise money to support her. It was so crowded that the server crashed.

The next week, Black men across the country decided to host their own Zoom to do the same. It was very important, especially since there were rumors that she didn’t have Black male supporters. There was a spread of White male voters who rallied under ‘White Dudes for Harris’.
Even the youth vote turned out for her. Everyone who understood what was at stake put away whatever trepidations they may have had about her because it was bigger than her.

Q: How do you think Harris’s record as Vice President, Senate, or Attorney General affected voters’ opinions?

I think the pragmatic nature of the choices affected voters’ opinions. It was either her or Trump. For most people, they saw the existential threat that Trump would be; he could end the world as we know it. Quite frankly, that was the point. He wants to change the American Republic because too many people of color have rights, and it doesn’t allow them to have power. So, her record mattered, but it wasn’t the main reason that people were galvanizing to vote for her. It was not Trump.

Q: What do you think she could have done differently to secure more voter support?

Not a thing. The reason I say that is because she ran a very thoughtful and methodical campaign. She could have cured cancer, and it wouldn’t have mattered because the point is they wanted a white male who was going to secure white male supremacy. So, no matter what tap dancing she did, how many rallies she held, where she went, or who she talked to, it did not matter.

The country is grappling with its racist and sexist past and present. We know the country is more sexist than racist because we’ve had a Black president before, but he was a man. So, when they could’ve had Hillary Clinton, she was a white female who was very experienced and credentialed, but she didn’t make it. So, when Joe Biden stepped down, the democratic party wanted a white male because they understood where they lived. They knew that the best shot at beating Trump in a racist country was to install a white male at the top of the ticket.

Q: Do you think that her identity as a woman and a woman of color played a role in how voters viewed her? 


Oh, certainly. I mean, there’s this double standard about Black people having to be infinitely degreed, with infinite experience and far surpassing their colleagues and counterparts, but yet a mediocre, uneducated white male could be put at the top of the ticket and be President of the United States not once but twice.

So, it is unfair, but it’s American politics. It’s not always smart, it’s not always fair, and it’s not always legal. However, we may be down, but we’re never out. We have our ancestors’ strength running through our veins, so we’re going to weather this storm. We’re gonna be okay. We’re gonna take some bumps along the way, but we’ve learned some valuable lessons in this process, and we’re going to emerge as we always do, like a Phoenix rising.

Final Thoughts

After my review, I concluded that there was nothing Kamala could’ve done that would’ve changed America’s mind. She just didn’t fit the mold to be their President. As unfortunate as it is, it’s not surprising. As the election was ongoing, I doubted that she would come out triumphant. It wasn’t because she lacked skill, experience, or had a bad plan. It was, instead, because of who she is – a Black and Asian woman.

Since the beginning of time, women, specifically women of color, haven’t received the same opportunities as their white or male counterparts despite their qualifications. It all boils down to racism and misogyny. Many thought she wasn’t a fit candidate because of these sole reasons. As a Black woman living in the United States, it is disheartening to see how this country often fails people like me; however, it has also been encouraging to see this representation on a large scale.

Kamala Harris knew the odds were against her but yet she stepped up and made thousands of people who look like me very proud. As a Black woman, I would just like to say thank you, Kamala! We are proud of your hard work, drive, and dedication to attempting to change this country for the better.

In regards to that man, all I can say is, Good Luck, America!