2024 United States elections

The 2024 United States elections are scheduled to be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. During this presidential election year, the president and vice president will be elected. In addition, all 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives and 34 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate will be contested to determine the membership of the 119th United States Congress. Thirteen state and territorial governorships and numerous other state and local elections will also be contested.

Issues

Election interference

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed the US has seen evidence of Chinese attempts to “influence and arguably interfere” with the upcoming US elections, despite an earlier commitment from leader Xi Jinping not to do so.

Abortion

This will be the first presidential election held after the overturn of Roe v. Wade, and the third overall election cycle after the 2022 midterm elections and the 2023 off-year elections. Republican-controlled states predominantly passed near-total bans on abortion in the aftermath of the Supreme Court's June 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision. By April 2023, abortion was "largely illegal" throughout much of the United States. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, there were 15 states that have de jure early stage bans on abortion explicitly without exceptions for rape or incest: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. In states with laws granting exceptions, it was reported de facto that "very few exceptions to these new abortion bans have been granted" and that patients who had been raped or otherwise qualified for exceptions were being turned away, citing "ambiguous laws and the threat of criminal penalties make them unwilling to test the rules".

Democrats outperformed Biden's results in the 2020 U.S. presidential election in several 2022 House special elections, with abortion cited as a major contributor to their victories. Then during the 2023 elections, both Democratic and Republican operatives attributed the Democrats' overperformance streak to the growing bipartisan support of broad abortion rights in the wake of Dobbs decision. Thus, many conservative political analysts and commentators called a continued Republican alliance with the anti-abortion movement "untenable" and an "electoral disaster", and urged the party to favor abortion rights. Some issue polling has shown Donald Trump, the likely Republican nominee, outrunning his party and closing the gap with Democrats on the issue of abortion, but no election data with Trump directly on the ballot has happened to verify these results.

Mark Robinson, who once advocated for a complete abortion ban without exceptions, underwent a rhetorical shift in his North Carolina gubernatorial campaign. In 2018, he had labeled abortion as 'murder' and 'genocide,' but as the leading Republican candidate for governor of North Carolina in 2024, he avoided mentioning abortion on the campaign trail. However, his stance softened following the Supreme Court's 2022 Dobbs decision and the passage of North Carolina's 12-week abortion ban in May 2023. Robinson, who had shifted to emphasizing the term 'life' instead of 'abortion,' expressed support for 'heartbeat' legislation with exceptions for rape, incest, and the mother's life. Despite his past harsh rhetoric, Robinson's then-current position reflected a more nuanced approach to anti-abortion legislation.

Indictments

On November 18, 2022, three days after former president and Republican candidate Donald Trump announced his 2024 re-election bid, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Jack Smith as special counsel to investigate Trump's role in the January 6 U.S. Capitol attack and Trump's mishandling of government documents, including classified documents.

On March 30, 2023, Trump was indicted by a grand jury in Manhattan for his alleged role in a scandal stemming from hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election.

On May 10, 2023, Republican New York Congressman George Santos was indicted on federal charges of fraud and money laundering.

On June 8, 2023, Trump was indicted on 37 federal charges related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents by the office of the Smith special counsel investigation.

On August 1, 2023, a Washington, D.C., federal grand jury indicted Trump again on four felony counts of conspiracy and obstruction related to Trump's role in the January 6 attack and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

On August 14, a Georgia grand jury indicted Trump on racketeering and other felonies committed in an effort to overturn the state's 2020 election results and the Trump–Raffensperger phone call. As of September 15, 2023, Trump has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

On August 11, four months after incumbent president and Democratic candidate Joe Biden announced his re-election bid, Garland appointed David C. Weiss to serve as special counsel to investigate Biden's son, Hunter Biden, who was indicted on September 14, 2023, on three federal firearms-related charges.

On September 22, 2023, Democratic U.S. Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey and his wife Nadine were both indicted on bribery charges.

On December 19, 2023, the Colorado Supreme Court removed Trump from the state's 2024 Republican primary, citing the Fourteenth Amendment's ban on candidates who engage in insurrections. This decision was later overturned by the US Supreme Court on March 4, 2024.

Federal elections

Presidential election

The 2024 United States presidential election will be the 60th quadrennial U.S. presidential election. This will be the first presidential election under the electoral vote distribution determined by the 2020 census. Presidential electors who will elect the President and Vice President of the United States will be chosen; a simple majority (270) of the 538 electoral votes are required to win the election. President Joe Biden is running for a second term, with Vice President Kamala Harris once again serving as his running mate. Other individuals have launched their candidacies in the 2024 Democratic Party presidential primaries, though the last time a sitting president eligible for re-election did not win re-nomination from their respective party was in the 1968 presidential election.

In November 2022, former President Donald Trump announced his candidacy in the 2024 presidential election. Other candidates who have entered the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries include former South Carolina governor and former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley and current Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who have since suspended their campaigns. The first Republican presidential debate was held on August 23, 2023, and the first primary contest was the 2024 Iowa Republican presidential caucuses, which was held on January 15, 2024.

In October 2023, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his run as an independent presidential candidate. By the next month, Kennedy's polling was at the highest levels for a candidate outside the two major parties since Ross Perot in 1992.

Congressional elections

Senate elections

All 33 seats in Senate Class 1 and one seat in Senate Class 2 will be up for election; at least one additional special election will take place to fill vacancies that arise during the 118th Congress. Democrats control the majority in the closely-divided Senate following the 2022 U.S. Senate elections, but they will have to defend 23 seats in 2024. Three Democratic-held seats up for election are in the heavily Republican-leaning states of Montana, Ohio, and West Virginia, all of which were won comfortably by Trump in both 2016 and 2020. Other potential Republican targets include seats in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Maryland, while Democrats may target Republican-held seats in Florida and Texas.

Special elections

Two special elections are scheduled to fill the unexpired terms of senators who vacated their seats during the 118th Congress:

• Nebraska Class 2: Republican Ben Sasse resigned his seat on January 8, 2023, to become President of the University of Florida. Pete Ricketts was appointed by Nebraska governor Jim Pillen to fill the seat until the special election, which will take place concurrently with the regularly-scheduled 2024 Senate elections.
• California Class 1: Democrat Dianne Feinstein died on September 29, 2023. Laphonza Butler was appointed by California governor Gavin Newsom to fill the seat until the special election, which will take place concurrently with the regular election for a six-year term.

House of Representatives elections

All 435 voting seats in the United States House of Representatives will be up for election. Additionally, elections will be held to select the non-voting members who represent the District of Columbia and all five permanently-inhabited U.S. territories in the House of Representatives. Republicans hold a narrow majority in the House of Representatives following the 2022 U.S. House elections.

Special elections

Six special elections to the House of Representatives are scheduled to be held in 2024.

• New York's 3rd congressional district: Democrat Tom Suozzi defeated Republican Mazi Melesa Pilip to succeed Republican George Santos, who was expelled on December 1, 2023, for making false biographical statements and alleged misuse of campaign funds. The district has a partisan index of D+2.
• New York's 26th congressional district: Democrat Tim Kennedy defeated Republican Gary Dickson to succeed Democrat Brian Higgins, who resigned on February 2, 2024 to become president of Shea's Performing Arts Center. The district has a partisan index of D+9.
• California's 20th congressional district: Republican Kevin McCarthy resigned on December 31, 2023. The district has a partisan index of R+16.
• Ohio's 6th congressional district: Republican Bill Johnson resigned on January 21, 2024, to become president of Youngstown State University. The district has a partisan index of R+16.
• Colorado's 4th congressional district: Republican Ken Buck resigned on March 22, 2024. The district has a partisan index of R+13.
• New Jersey's 10th congressional district: Democrat Donald Payne, Jr. died on April 24, 2024. A special election will be held on September 18, 2024, to fill the vacant seat in New Jersey's 10th congressional district. The winner will serve in the United States House of Representatives for the remainder of the 118th United States Congress. The urban district is considered a safely Democratic seat, as Donald Payne Jr. was elected with 77.6% of the vote in 2022.

State elections

Gubernatorial elections

Elections will be held for the governorships of eleven of the fifty U.S. states and two U.S. territories. Special elections may be held for vacancies in the other states and territories, if required by respective state or territorial constitutions.

Attorney general elections

Ten states will hold attorney general elections.

Secretary of State elections

Seven states will hold elections.

State Treasurer elections

Ten states will hold elections.

Legislative elections

Most legislative chambers will hold regularly-scheduled elections in 2024. The exceptions are the Michigan Senate, Minnesota Senate, and both legislative chambers in the states of Alabama, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Virginia. In chambers that use staggered terms, only a portion of the seats in the chamber will be up for election.

Other executive and judicial elections

In addition to gubernatorial elections, various other executive and judicial positions will hold elections at the state level in 2024.

Local elections

Mayoral elections

A number of major U.S. cities have held mayoral elections in 2024:

• Pueblo, Colorado: On January 23, Heather Graham defeated one-term incumbent Nick Gradisar in his bid for re-election.
• Bridgeport, Connecticut: On February 27, two-term incumbent Joe Ganim won re-election against John Gomes after the previous election held in November 2023 was found fraudulent.
• Bakersfield, California: On March 5, two-term incumbent Karen Goh won re-election against Gregory Tatum.
• Burlington, Vermont: On March 5, Emma Mulvaney-Stanak defeated Joan Shannon, succeeding four-term incumbent Miro Weinberger, who chose to retire.
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin: On April 2, one-term incumbent Cavalier Johnson won re-election to a full term against David King.

Eligible incumbents

• Anchorage, Alaska: One-term incumbent Dave Bronson is running for re-election.
• Austin, Texas: One-term incumbent Kirk Watson is running for re-election.
• Baltimore, Maryland: One-term incumbent Brandon Scott is running for re-election.
• Cheyenne, Wyoming: One-term incumbent Patrick Collins is running for re-election.
• Corpus Christi, Texas: Two-term incumbent Paulette Guajardo is eligible for re-election.
• Costa Mesa, California: One-term incumbent John Stephens is eligible for re-election.
• El Paso, Texas: One-term incumbent Oscar Leeser is running for re-election.
• Fayetteville, Arkansas: Four-term incumbent Lioneld Jordan is running for re-election.
• Fresno, California: One-term incumbent Jerry Dyer intends to run for re-election.
• Grand Forks, North Dakota: One-term incumbent Brandon Bochenski is running for re-election.
• Honolulu, Hawaii: One-term incumbent Rick Blangiardi is eligible for re-election.
• Huntington, West Virginia: Three-term incumbent Steve Williams is eligible for re-election, but is instead running for governor.
• Miami-Dade County, Florida: One-term incumbent Daniella Levine Cava is running for re-election.
• Phoenix, Arizona: One-term incumbent Kate Gallego is eligible for re-election.
• Salt Lake County, Utah: One-term incumbent Jenny Wilson is running for re-election.
• San Diego, California: One-term incumbent Todd Gloria is running for re-election.
• San Francisco, California: One-term incumbent London Breed is running for re-election.
• Springdale, Arkansas: Four-term incumbent Doug Sprouse is running for re-election.
• Stockton, California: One-term incumbent Kevin Lincoln is eligible for re-election, but is instead running for Congress.
• Virginia Beach, Virginia: One-term incumbent Bobby Dyer is running for re-election.

Ineligible or retiring incumbents

• Alexandria, Virginia: Two-term incumbent Justin Wilson is retiring.
• Grand Rapids, Michigan: Two-term incumbent Rosalynn Bliss is term-limited and ineligible to run.
• Irvine, California: Two-term incumbent Farrah Khan is term-limited and ineligible to run.
• Las Vegas, Nevada: Three-term incumbent Carolyn Goodman is term-limited and ineligible to run.
• Lubbock, Texas: One-term incumbent Trey Payne is retiring.
• Mesa, Arizona: Two-term incumbent John Giles is term-limited and ineligible to run.
• Portland, Oregon: Two-term incumbent Ted Wheeler is retiring.
• Raleigh, North Carolina: Two-term incumbent Mary-Ann Baldwin is retiring.
• Richmond, Virginia: Two-term incumbent Levar Stoney is term-limited and ineligible to run.
• Sacramento, California: Two-term incumbent Darrell Steinberg is retiring.
• Tulsa, Oklahoma: Two-term incumbent G. T. Bynum is term-limited and ineligible to run.
• Wilmington, Delaware: Two-term incumbent Mike Purzycki is retiring.
• Wheeling, West Virginia: Two-term incumbent Glenn Elliott is term-limited and ineligible to run, so he decided to run for U.S. Senate.

Tribal elections

In January, the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation elected Sandra Pattea tribal president, ousting long-term tribal leader Bernadine Burnette, who first joined the tribal council in 1992. Also in January, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community elevated Cole Miller from vice chair to tribal chairman.

In February, the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians elected Doug Barrett tribal chief in a special election to fill the remainder of Donald "Doc" Slyter's term, which expires in April 2030. Slyter died in November 2023.

In March, the Apache Tribe of Oklahoma reelected Durell Cooper III as tribal chairman.

Referendums

In June, the Cherokee Nation will hold a referendum on whether or not to hold a constitutional convention to amend or replace the tribe’s constitution. Also in June, the Osage Nation will consider a constitutional amendment about executive appointments.

Table of state, territorial, and federal results

This table shows the partisan results of presidential, congressional, gubernatorial, and state legislative races held in each state and territory in 2024. Note that not all states and territories hold gubernatorial, state legislative, and Senate elections in 2024. The five territories and Washington, D.C., do not elect members of the Senate, and the territories do not take part in presidential elections; instead, they each elect one non-voting member of the House. Nebraska's unicameral legislature and the governorship and legislature of American Samoa are elected on a non-partisan basis, and political party affiliation is not listed.

Violent threats

The election campaign has been marked by widespread doxxing, swatting, and threats against politicians and activists, with a particular series of incidents starting in December 2023.

Notes

References