FROM THE HILL
Election 2024 Recap – Republicans Win Trifecta
THE ELECTION CYCLE IS FINALLY OVER. AFTER DAYS OF anticipation, we now know who will control the White House, House of Representatives, and Senate. It was not as close as many had believed. Donald Trump won not just the electoral vote but the popular vote as well. Trump has won the race for the presidency of the United States, gaining a historic second term. He passed the critical threshold of 270 electoral college votes with a win in all seven battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. In the end, Trump won the Electoral College vote 312 to 226 Harris.
President-elect Donald Trump
By Karla Segundo Martinez, Senior Manager of Government Relations, and Manager of NALP PAC
This article was written on Nov. 18, for the most current information email Karla Segundo (karla@landscapeporfes-
sionals.org)
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secured a second term in the White House with a decisive elec- toral victory over Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, though the final popular vote count remains undetermined as ballots continue to be counted. While Trump appears to be the first Republican to win the presidential popular vote since George W. Bush in 2004, his lead continues to fluctuate as remaining ballots are tallied. According to the latest vote counts, Harris has ended up with 72.4 million votes to Trump’s 75.6 million votes. On election night, exit polls and early results suggest- ed no single group or region drove the win for Donald Trump, but instead, small gains in many places added up to victory. Vice President Kamala Harris conceded her defeat in an address to her supporters the following afternoon of the election at Howard University, her alma mater in Washington, D.C. Harris was set to speak at her alma mater on election night; however, when it became clear that Trump had the advantage late into midnight, the event was canceled. Harris called Trump earlier on Wednesday, con- ceding the historic election after a hard-fought race for the right to lead the nation. She discussed the importance of a peaceful transfer of power and being a president for all Americans with Trump, accord- ing to a senior Harris aide.
32 The Edge //January/February 2025
U.S. SENATE Democrats currently have a 51-49 majority in the Senate, with four Independents caucusing with them (King, Manchin, Sinema, and Sanders). Prior to Election Day, we had anticipated that Republicans would gain back the Senate; however, we thought it would only be by one or two votes max. Republicans have taken control of the Senate, propelled by wins in West Virginia and Ohio, with Manchin retiring, West Virginia was bound to go red. Republicans were able to gain four seats giving them the majority of 53 seats and Democrats 47 seats including two Independents (King and Sanders). Unfortunately, we lost three
great Senators who have been supporters of NALP’s priority issues. They faced extremely difficult reelections: Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Jon Tester (D-MT), and Bob Casey (D-PA). We were able to gain a potential supporter, Sena- tor-elect Ruben Gallegos. Prior to running for Senate, Gallego was a Representative who has been compassionate towards our issues such as H-2B.
Republicans last won a major-
ity in the Senate in 2018 before Democrats went on to secure a narrow majority in the two most recent elections in 2020 and 2022. The Republican victory will have major implications for the new administration, bolstering the president’s agenda. The win teed up a high-stakes race for leader-
ship of the chamber after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced plans earlier this year to step down from leadership. Minority Whip John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, won the leadership race on Wednesday, Nov. 13.
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES As of Wednesday, Nov. 13, Republicans secured a bare majority in the House of Representatives. Republicans will keep control of the House of Representatives, solidifying Republican leadership of both chambers of Congress as well as the White House with Donald Trump’s 2024 election victory. The GOP held onto the House despite two years of infighting that often descended the lower chamber into chaos, including the historic ousting of their speaker.
427 of 435 seats have been called with only eight races still being too close to call and may trigger recounts. As of Thursday night, Nov. 14, Democrats have 209 seats and Republicans have 218 seats. Democrats were able to pick up two seats CA-27 and OR-05, and Republicans picked up four seats so far CO-08, MI-07, PA-07, and PA-08. Again, there are eight seats yet to be called. If Democrats win all eight, then the majority margin would literally only be one vote. If Republicans were to win all eight seats their majority would be larger than that of the last Congress. Just to put some of these races
into perspective of how close they are, here are a few examples. California’s 13th Congressional
District, Freshman GOP Rep. John Duarte leads Democratic challeng- er Adam Gray by more than 3,700
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