How Harris Lost and Trump Won The W.H.

 

(Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images)

The analysis of President-elect Donald Trump's victory over Vice President Kamala Harris began before Election Day had ended. For Trump and Republicans, efforts to galvanize key groups of voters proved fruitful. Harris and Democrats struggled with a late start and failure to break from President Joe Biden. On Wednesday, Harris conceded in a speech at Howard University. She offered words of empowerment while stressing that Democrats had to accept the results of the election — something Trump never did when he lost to Biden in 2020.  In fact, after the Jan. 6 riot, Trump was cast into the political wilderness by his own party, as Republicans turned to new faces they thought could harness Trump's energy but with less of his baggage. Republican primary voters had other ideas, though, and his ascent back to the top was fueled by multiple indictments that turned him into a "folk hero and icon," a campaign official said. "And then he gets shot, and that only increased the view of him as a folk hero and icon."  Meanwhile, Biden's initial refusal to exit the 2024 presidential race after a disastrous debate performance in June kicked off a whirlwind season that gave rise to Harris. Some argue Biden waited too long to step down. And though Harris rode a wave of summer excitement, some close to her campaign said the team struggled to keep up the momentum into Election Day.  NBC News' politics team spoke to 35 operatives and officials from both parties and campaigns to understand how Trump won and how Harris lost. Read the full story here.

More election coverage:

➡️ Battleground Democratic voters cited several factors that led to the defeat, including the abbreviated Harris campaign, a lack of economic messaging, and a drift too far to the left for social issues. Some cited gender and race as factors in the result, while others were "angry" about the Biden administration's handling of the war in Gaza.

➡️ Meanwhile, Democratic campaign aides, strategists, elected officials and others said it's time for a reckoning within the Democratic Partythat includes changing how it talks about issues such as immigration and clearing out the old guard operatives whose ideas are outdated.

➡️ Strong female support for Harris wasn’t enough to push her to a win. Here’s why.

➡️ All eyes are turning to the battle for control of the House of Representatives. Republicans are feeling optimistic.

➡️ Two battleground Democrats have won Senate races in states lost by Harris, with Rep. Elissa Slotkin defeating former GOP Rep. Mike Rogers in Michigan, and incumbent Sen. Tammy Baldwin defeating Republican Eric Hovde in Wisconsin.

➡️ Constitutional amendments to protect or expand abortion rights passed in seven of the 10 states where they were on the ballot.

➡️ Policy experts predict the issue of abortion rights in a second Trump administration could involve new restrictions or the reinstatement of old ones.

➡️ DOJ officials have been evaluating how to wind down two federal criminal cases against Trump, whose victory also likely upends the other criminal cases against him. Here’s where they stand.

➡️ In Israel, the country’s right-wing leadership was thrilled by Trump’s victory, with ultranationalist ministers openly celebrating on social media. Ukrainian officials offered their own praise of Trump, but face an uncertain future given his views on further military support for Kyiv's fight with Russia.

➡️ Tech CEOs, including ones who Trump previously threatened, sent their congratulations.

➡️ Evangelical leaders celebrated Trump’s victory as a fulfillment of God’s divine will.

➡️ The Biden administration is preparing for a possible surge in border crossings ahead of a Trump presidency.

➡️ Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who could take on a role in the Trump administration, said he wouldn't "take away anybody's vaccines" and rejected the claim he’s “anti-vaccine.”  NBC