After the primary and caucuses, each party holds a national convention to select their final presidential nominee. They will also choose a running mate for the President (Vice President). The nominees campaign throughout the United States, and participate in debates to explain their plans and views to society.
In November, Americans voted for the President and Vice President in the general election. In addition, voters elected members of Congress – which passes laws, and can act as a check on the president’s plans. Republicans retook control of the Senate, while Democratic candidates won a majority in the House of Representatives.
The results of the presidential race were surprising. Polls had shown that Harris and Trump were neck-and-neck both nationally and in key swing states, but when votes were counted on election day, Trump had a commanding lead.
Several factors contributed to the outcome. One was the conviction of Trump in a criminal hush-money case. Another was the public perception that he had mismanaged the economy, and a third was a widely held belief that his health was declining and that he was not mentally or physically up to the job.
A fourth factor was that some Democratic electors made the controversial decision to break with their party and vote for a third-party candidate. Several states have laws requiring electors to vote for their pledged candidate, and they can penalize or cancel a deviant vote. This year, at least six Democratic electors violated those rules.