What’s at Stake

The 2024 presidential election is shaping up to be a contest like no other in American history.

It features a sitting vice president who entered the race only 107 days before Election Day and is seeking to become the first woman ever to occupy the Oval Office. She’s squaring off against a former president vying to serve two nonconsecutive terms in the White House for the first time since Grover Cleveland was reelected in 1892.

Add to the mix a failed assassination attempt, a series of criminal indictments and Supreme Court rulings, and a nation as divided politically as it’s ever been, and Election 2024 has the makings of an unprecedented and unpredictable presidential race. An election’s outcome has rarely felt more important for America’s future.

“This election will be historic no matter how it turns out,” says Costas Panagopoulos, a political science professor at Northeastern University in Boston.

Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump represent not only the nation’s two major political parties, but also two clashing worldviews. Vice President Harris views America as a nation that embraces diversity, values its allies around the world, and considers government at its best to be a force for good in society. Former President Donald Trump views America as nation that for too long has catered to the needs of other countries and of immigrants trying to get into the United States. He also views America’s political system as corrupted by “a deep state” of unelected officials who favor the undeserving over hardworking everyday people.

The 2024 presidential election is going to be like no election in American history.

It features a sitting vice president who entered the race only 107 days before Election Day. She is also trying to become the first woman to be elected president. She’s facing a former president trying to serve two nonconsecutive terms in the White House. This hasn’t been done since Grover Cleveland was reelected in 1892.

Election 2024 will be an unprecedented and unpredictable presidential race. Many outside factors will influence the race, including a failed assassination attempt and a series of criminal indictments and Supreme Court rulings. Additionally, the nation is as divided politically as it’s ever been. An election’s outcome has rarely felt more important for America’s future.

“This election will be historic no matter how it turns out,” says Costas Panagopoulos, a political science professor at Northeastern University in Boston.

Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump represent not only the nation’s two major political parties but also two clashing worldviews. Vice President Harris views America as a nation that embraces diversity and values its allies around the world. She believes that government at its best can be a force for good in society. Former President Donald Trump sees America as a nation that has accommodated the needs of other countries and immigrants trying to get into the United States. He also views America’s political system as controlled by “a deep state” of unelected officials who favor the undeserving over hardworking everyday people.

If elected for a second time, Trump vows to place hefty tariffs on many imported products to protect American manufacturing, to loosen environmental and other government regulations that he says strangle businesses, and to help lower the prices of basic goods. He’s also promised a huge crackdown on illegal immigration, including mass deportations of those already in the U.S. illegally, and he says he’ll look more skeptically at America’s longstanding international alliances and demand that other countries pay their fair share of global defense.

Harris has a very different set of priorities. As president, she says, she’d support broad immigration policy reform that would update the rules for how to come to the U.S. legally in addition to improving security at the border. Harris also promises to defend recently passed laws to address climate change, as well as protect voting rights and a woman’s right to have an abortion, following the Supreme Court’s ruling in 2022 that it was no longer a guaranteed federal right under the Constitution. She believes America’s bedrock international partnerships and treaties are critical to the nation’s security.

In fact, on every major issue facing the nation—the economy, immigration, climate change, America’s role in the world, and more—Trump’s and Harris’s positions are vastly different (see “Where They Stand,” below).

“You have very sharp contrasts between the two major-party candidates,” says Panagopoulos. “You couldn’t have more divergent views about the future of this country.”

If elected for a second time, Trump vows to place hefty tariffs, or fees, on many imported products to protect American manufacturing. He also wants to reduce regulations, including environmental regulations, because he says they strangle businesses. Trump also  wants to help lower the prices of basic goods. And he’s promised a huge crackdown on illegal immigration. This would include mass deportations of those already in the U.S. illegally. He says he’ll look more skeptically at America’s longstanding international alliances and demand that other countries pay their fair share of global defense.

Harris has a very different set of priorities. As president, she says, she’d support broad immigration policy reform that would update the rules for how to come to the U.S. legally. Additionally, she would work to improve security at the border. Harris also promises to defend recently passed laws to address climate change, as well as voting rights protection. She will work to protect a woman’s right to have an abortion, which is no longer a guaranteed federal right under the Constitution because of the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling. She believes America’s bedrock international partnerships and treaties are critical to the nation’s security.

In fact, on every major issue facing the nation—the economy, immigration, climate change, America’s role in the world, and more—Trump’s and Harris’s positions are hugely different (see “Where They Stand,” below).

“You have very sharp contrasts between the two major-party candidates,” says Panagopoulos. “You couldn’t have more divergent views about the future of this country.”

For most of the campaign, it seemed that Trump, 78, would face President Biden, 81, in a rematch of the 2020 election. But amid eroding support from his own party, primarily over age-related concerns, Biden in late July announced he was ending his bid for reelection despite having won the Democratic primary in all 50 states. He endorsed Harris, 59, who quickly united and energized Democrats, even though she hadn’t held a single campaign event in 2024. At the Democratic National Convention in August, she officially became the first woman of color—her mother was from India and her father is from Jamaica—to be nominated for president on a major-party ticket.

Harris got her start in politics as a district attorney in San Francisco. She was elected in 2010 as California’s attorney general, and in office she made headlines by successfully suing fossil fuel companies over pollution and for-profit colleges for loading students with debt. She won a U.S. Senate seat in 2016, where she served until becoming vice president in 2021.

In contrast to the recent burst of enthusiasm when she replaced Biden, Harris struggled the last time she sought the presidency. She ran what political experts labeled a poor campaign for the 2020 Democratic nomination and dropped out before a single vote was cast.

As vice president, she seemed to largely fade into the background, as many vice presidents do. Her most visible assignment was dealing with the root causes of illegal immigration, one of the most difficult and intractable national issues. Since she hasn’t had to battle in a primary to win this year’s Democratic nomination, she’s essentially untested with voters.

For most of the campaign, it seemed it would be a rematch of the 2020 election—Trump, 78, facing President Biden, 81. But because of declining support from his own party, mainly because of age-related concerns, Biden in late July announced he was ending his bid for reelection. He made this decision despite having won the Democratic primary in all 50 states. He endorsed Harris, 59, who quickly united and energized Democrats, even though she hadn’t held a single campaign event in 2024. At the Democratic National Convention in August, she officially became the first woman of color—her mother was from India and her father is from Jamaica—to be nominated for president on a major-party ticket.

Harris got her start in politics as a district attorney in San Francisco. She was elected in 2010 as California’s attorney general. She made headlines by successfully suing fossil fuel companies over pollution and for-profit colleges for loading students with debt. She won a U.S. Senate seat in 2016. She served in Congress until she became vice president in 2021.

In contrast to the recent excitement when she replaced Biden, Harris struggled the last time she ran for the presidency. Her previous campaign for the 2020 Democratic nomination was labeled poor by political experts. She dropped out before a single vote was cast.

As vice president, she seemed to largely fade into the background, as many vice presidents do. Her biggest assignment was dealing with the root causes of illegal immigration, which is one of the most difficult national issues. She hasn’t had to battle in a primary to win this year’s Democratic nomination, so she’s untested with voters.

Voters are more familiar with Trump and his policies. He first made a name for himself as a billionaire real estate mogul and a reality TV star. He’d never served in public office before winning the presidency in 2016. Trump’s term in the Oval Office from 2017 to 2021 was marked by a major tax cut, a crackdown on illegal immigration, and rollbacks of environmental and other government regulations that he argued were choking the economy. He shook up relations with America’s longtime allies with his “America first” approach to foreign policy. Critics often gave him low grades for what appeared to be a chaotic response to the Covid pandemic that began in 2020, though his administration oversaw the rollout of vaccines in record time.

Trump’s time in office was also marked by controversy. The House of Representatives, then controlled by Democrats, impeached him twice, but the Senate, which was controlled by Republicans, voted not to convict him both times.

After Biden won the 2020 election, Trump refused to accept the results. The official congressional investigation into the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, found that Trump’s ongoing claims that the election was stolen contributed to the violence that day, when his supporters stormed the Capitol as members of Congress tallied Electoral College votes.

Voters are more familiar with Trump and his policies. He first made a name for himself as a billionaire real estate mogul and a reality TV star. He’d never served in public office before winning the presidency in 2016. During his time in the Oval Office from 2017 to 2021, there was a major tax cut and a crackdown on illegal immigration.  Environmental and other government regulations that he argued were choking the economy were rolled back. His “America first” approach to foreign policy changed relations with America’s longtime allies. Critics often gave him low grades for what appeared to be a chaotic response to the Covid pandemic that began in 2020. But his administration did oversee the rollout of vaccines in record time.

Trump’s time in office was also marked by controversy. The House of Representatives, then controlled by Democrats, impeached him twice. The Senate, which was controlled by Republicans, voted not to convict him both times.

After Biden won the 2020 election, Trump refused to accept the results. The official congressional investigation into the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, found that Trump’s ongoing claims that the election was stolen contributed to the violence that day.

Since leaving office, Trump has been charged with multiple state and federal crimes, including federal election interference and a refusal to turn over classified documents, and he’s been indicted in four cases. A jury in New York City convicted him in May on state charges of illegally interfering with the 2016 election. The other cases remain tied up in court challenges and haven’t yet gone to trial.

His legal team has argued that, as a former president, Trump has immunity from such charges—a claim that got partial backing from the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Trump v. United States. Many Republicans dismiss his criminal charges as politically motivated.

In July, Trump survived an assassination attempt just days before he accepted the Republican nomination, his ear bloodied in a shooting attack at an outdoor rally in Pennsylvania.

He remains intensely popular with his supporters, and Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement has become almost a political party in its own right.

As Harris and Trump campaign in a sprint to Election Day on November 5, they’ll try to make their cases to the American people, especially to undecided and independent voters (see graph, below) in key battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

Since leaving office, Trump has been charged with multiple state and federal crimes, including federal election interference and a refusal to turn over classified documents. He’s been indicted in four cases. A jury in New York City convicted him in May on state charges of illegally interfering with the 2016 election. The other cases remain tied up in court challenges. They have yet to go to trial. His legal team has argued that, as a former president, Trump has immunity from such charges. This claim got partial backing from the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Trump v. United States. Many Republicans dismiss his criminal charges as politically motivated.

In July, Trump survived an assassination attempt just days before he accepted the Republican nomination. His ear was bloodied in a shooting attack at an outdoor rally in Pennsylvania.

He remains intensely popular with his supporters. Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement has become almost a political party in its own right.

As Harris and Trump campaign in a sprint to Election Day on November 5, they’ll try to make their cases to the American people. There will be a focus on undecided and independent voters (see graph, below) in key battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

The election is taking place in a nation that’s deeply divided. America’s political divisions aren’t new; indeed, they can be traced back to the days of John Adams versus Thomas Jefferson. But according to some experts, they’ve rarely reached the levels seen today. Americans don’t just disagree with each other, they live in different realities, each with its own self-reinforcing Internet-and-media bubble.

However, there’s one thing a majority of voters agree on. According to a recent Gallup poll, 73 percent of Americans say the country is heading in the wrong direction. They say the economic and political system in the country is broken. In poll after poll, voters say they’re looking for change.

Change is exactly what both candidates promise to deliver.

“Under our leadership, the United States will be respected again,” Trump vowed in his speech in July accepting the Republican nomination. “No nation will question our power. No enemy will doubt our might. Our borders will be totally secure. Our economy will soar.”

As she accepted the Democratic nomination in August, Harris told supporters her campaign is about a better future.

“America, let us show each other and the world who we are and what we stand for: Freedom, opportunity, compassion, dignity, fairness, and endless possibilities.”

Even though Harris is a sitting vice president and represents the current administration, she too would be a candidate of change. Forty-five men have served as president since 1789,* so the election of a woman would be historic and a woman of color even more so.

The election is taking place in a nation that’s deeply divided. America’s political divisions aren’t new. They can be traced back to the days of John Adams versus Thomas Jefferson. But according to some experts, they’ve rarely reached the levels seen today. Americans don’t just disagree with each other, they live in different realities, each with its own self-reinforcing Internet-and-media bubble.

However, there’s one thing a majority of voters agree on. According to a recent Gallup poll, 73 percent of Americans say the country is heading in the wrong direction. They say the economic and political system in the country is broken. In poll after poll, voters say they’re looking for change.

Change is exactly what both candidates promise to deliver.

“Under our leadership, the United States will be respected again,” Trump vowed in his speech in July accepting the Republican nomination. “No nation will question our power. No enemy will doubt our might. Our borders will be totally secure. Our economy will soar.”

As she accepted the Democratic nomination in August, Harris told supporters her campaign is about a better future.

“America, let us show each other and the world who we are and what we stand for: Freedom, opportunity, compassion, dignity, fairness, and endless possibilities.”

Even though Harris is a sitting vice president and represents the current administration, she too would be a candidate of change. Forty-five men have served as president since 1789.* The election of a woman would be historic—and a woman of color even more so.

“The U.S. presidency has been the highest and the hardest glass ceiling for women in politics to break,” says Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. “Other countries have elected women to be head of state, but the United States has never done that.”

Whoever wins will face monumental challenges, not only in the areas of domestic and foreign policy, but on a most basic level trying to assuage voters’ concerns that our disunited nation is in need of repair.

“The country needs leadership that can unify us,” says Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. “The people we elect this November are going to be making decisions on issues that will be consequential for generations to come.”

“The U.S. presidency has been the highest and the hardest glass ceiling for women in politics to break,” says Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. “Other countries have elected women to be head of state, but the United States has never done that.”

Whoever wins will face monumental challenges and not only in the areas of domestic and foreign policy. The winner will also have to try to address voters’ concerns that our disunited nation is in need of repair.

“The country needs leadership that can unify us,” says Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. “The people we elect this November are going to be making decisions on issues that will be consequential for generations to come.”

^{* Joe Biden is the 46th president. But Grover Cleveland was both the 22nd and 24th president, so only 45 men have held the office.}

^{* Joe Biden is the 46th president. But Grover Cleveland was both the 22nd and 24th president, so only 45 men have held the office.}

With reporting by Peter Baker of The Times.

With reporting by Peter Baker of The Times.