On November 5, 2024, the Republican Party’s ticket—Donald Trump, 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 of 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, following their formal election by the Electoral College.
Trump achieved a victory in the Electoral College, winning 312 electoral votes to Harris’ 226. He won every swing state and retained all the states he secured in 2020. Trump flipped six states that had voted Democratic in 2020: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Having previously won in 2016, Trump became the second president elected to a non-consecutive second term, 132 years after Grover Cleveland defeated Benjamin Harrison in 1892.
Trump won the national popular vote with 49.79% while Harris tallied 48.32% for a difference of 1.55%.
How close was the popular vote margin between Trump and Harris versus other close presidential elections?
| Year | Winner | Popular Vote Margin | Loser |
| 1824 | John Quincy Adams | −7.8% | Andrew Jackson |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1876 | Rutherford B. Hayes | −3.00% | Samuel J. Tilden |
| 2016 | Donald Trump | −2.09% | Hillary Clinton |
| 1888 | Benjamin Harrison | −0.83% | Grover Cleveland |
| 2000 | George W. Bush | −0.5% | Al Gore |
| 1880 | James A. Garfield | 0.09% | Winfield Scott Hancock |
| 1960 | John F. Kennedy | 0.17% | Richard Nixon |
| 1884 | Grover Cleveland | 0.57% | James G. Blaine |
| 1968 | Richard Nixon | 0.70% | Hubert Humphrey |
| 1844 | James K. Polk | 1.45% | Henry Clay |
| 2024 | Donald Trump | 1.47% | Kamala Harris |
The 5 Closest U.S Presidential Elections
1824
In the United States presidential election of 1824, where John Quincy Adams was selected by the House of Representatives. With four major candidates in the race, none secured a majority of electoral votes. While it might not have been the closest election based on popular vote alone, its unique circumstances make it deserving of that title. Andrew Jackson actually surpassed Adams by 7.8% in the popular vote and led by 15 electoral votes, yet still did not win outright. This unusual outcome highlights why this election should be regarded as one of the closest and most intriguing in American history. And don’t feel bad for Jackson as he’d win the presidency four years later.
1960
John F. Kennedy’s journey to secure the Democratic nomination was a testament to his resilience and determination, as he navigated through 13 challenging primaries, ultimately surpassing Hubert Humphrey. His victory over Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson on the first ballot at the Democratic National Convention marked a significant achievement. On the other side, Richard Nixon, who had served as vice president under Dwight D. Eisenhower, was chosen by the Republicans to challenge Kennedy in what became an incredibly close general election. The race was so tight that both candidates were neck and neck at 47 percent in Gallup polls. In a testament to how every vote truly matters, Kennedy won the popular vote by 0.17%, a margin of less than 120,000 out of 68.8 million votes cast. He secured 303 electoral college votes compared to Nixon’s 219—a reminder of the profound impact each individual’s voice can have in shaping history.
1880
The 1880 Republican candidate selection was quite the spectacle, with a fierce three-way contest that James A. Garfield, who led the Ohio delegation, wasn’t even part of initially. Surprisingly, he started getting some courtesy votes early on and then gained momentum as voting progressed. By the 36th ballot, he snagged the party’s nomination. In the general election against Democrat Winfield Scott Hancock—a Civil War hero—Garfield managed to clinch victory despite a whiff of personal scandal, winning by just 7,368 popular votes or just 0.11%. He secured 214 electoral college votes to Hancock’s 155.
2000
The 2000 presidential election was a real nail-biter and stirred up quite a bit of controversy in American history. Pollsters couldn’t even predict the outcome just days before the vote because it was that tight. The whole process got messy with vote counting issues, especially in Florida, where Al Gore pushed for a recount. Things escalated to the point where legal battles took the matter to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ultimately stopped any further recounts and declared George W. Bush as the winner. Bush snagged 271 electoral votes compared to Gore’s 266 but actually lost the popular vote by about 500,000 votes—a twist that left many people talking.Gore, the loser, edged Bush in the popular vote by 0.5%.
Considering both the popular and electoral votes, this U.S. Presidential Election may have been the tightest we’ve ever seen.
1876
Politics was as gritty and intense as it got during the 1876 presidential election, which pitted Republican Rutherford B. Hayes against Democrat Samuel J. Tilden, then governor of New York. Hayes snagged his party’s nomination after seven ballots and had to campaign amid widespread anti-Republican sentiment due to numerous scandals under outgoing President Ulysses S. Grant. The election was fiercely contested, with vote counting plagued by irregularities and animosity. It turned into the longest and most contentious election of its time, nearly causing chaos nationwide. After months of uncertainty, Congress finally stepped in and created the Electoral Commission. The commission voted in favor of Hayes who lost the popular vote by 3% but won electorally by a razor-thin margin: 185 to 184.
