US Election Recap: Key Moments Since Last Issue
June 27: First presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump
The first presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump marked a turning point in Biden’s political career and the democratic election campaign. A New York magazine headline described Biden as “frail, stressed, stiff, and blinking.” His weakness, and lack of intervention from moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, allowed Trump to continuously lie and spread false claims on issues from abortion to immigration, according to The Guardian.
Biden’s team later attributed his poor performance to a cold. Questions of Biden’s age had already been on the minds of voters, and an Associated Press-NORC poll from 2023 found that 77 per cent of adults believed Biden was too old to hold office a second time. According to CNN, his debate performance began a domino effect of doubt that rippled throughout the party.
July 13: Attempted assassination of Donald Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania
While speaking at an open-air campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Donald Trump was shot in the ear and wounded by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks for reasons that remain unknown. Crooks fired eight rounds of ammunition from the roof of a nearby building, which killed one audience member, and seriously wounded two others. The Secret Service received wide criticism for negligence, which resulted in the resignation of the head of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle.
July 15–July 18: The Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee
After the attempted assassination, security presence at the event was heightened, but morale among MAGA supporters was still strong. Attendees even wore fake ear bandages to show solidarity with the former president. On the first day of the RNC, Trump announced Ohio senator J.D. Vance as his Vice Presidential pick. Vance rose to political stardom after the release of his memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, which was adapted into a movie in 2020. Additional speakers included current speaker of the House Mike Johnson, United States Senator Ted Cruz, former US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, and TV host Tucker Carlson. The convention ended with an acceptance speech from Donald Trump which lasted 92 minutes, making it the longest acceptance speech in U.S. convention history.
July 21: Joe Biden Steps down and Endorses Kamala Harris
After mounting pressure from democrats, Biden announced that he would no longer seek reelection via X (formerly known as Twitter), stating that “it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down” before endorsing his vice president, Kamala Harris as the democratic nominee. According to AP News, Harris was able to secure enough delegates to win the party’s nomination in just two days, despite some hope from within the party that there would be an open primary before the Democratic National Convention (DNC).
July 25: J.D. Vance’s past comments about “Childless cat ladies” receives backlash
Republican Vice Presidential pick JD Vance received backlash about resurfaced comments that the government was run by “a bunch of childless cat ladies,” which he made during an interview with FOX News in 2021. During the 2021 interview, Vance also suggested that parents should get to vote on behalf of their children, saying that “if you don’t have as much of an investment in the future of this country, maybe you shouldn’t get nearly the same voice.” When Vance went on “The Megyn Kelly Show” to defend his comments, he claimed that his previous remarks were sarcastic, and that the Democratic party has become “anti-family and anti-child.”
Aug. 6: Kamala Harris picks Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz to be her Vice President
Kamala Harris announced Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate 16 days after becoming the presumptive nominee, and the two made their debut at a rally in Philadelphia. This decision was made after a short but intense vetting process, and Harris conducted interviews with the three finalists: Walz, Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro, and Arizona senator Mark Kelly. Walz, a former high school teacher, former service member, and current congressman, received criticism from republicans and right leaning media outlets following his nomination. These remarks specifically targeted his response to riots in Minneapolis following the death of George Floyd, and previous comments made about his service in the army, specifically him describing using “weapons of war” during a speech, despite never being deployed in an active war zone.
Aug. 19–Aug. 22: The Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago
The DNC began with an emotional “passing of the torch” speech from Joe Biden. Other speakers included former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, former secretary of state and democratic presidential candidate Hilliary Clinton, former first lady Michelle Obama and former democratic speaker of the house Nancy Pelosi, as well as a handful of Republicans — some who had previously worked for Donald Trump — who endorsed Harris. The convention ended with a speech from Harris, where she accepted the democratic nomination for president, calling on voters to “write the next great chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told.”
Sept. 10: Presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump
ABC News conducted the 90 minute long presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. After negotiations from both parties regarding the rules of the debate, microphones were turned off after each candidate was done speaking. Although moderators tried to keep the conversation focused on policy, Trump repeatedly shared false claims about Haitian migrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, according to a post-debate fact check from NPR, while Harris baited Trump into arguing about rally crowd-sizes. According to a CNN flash-poll, 63 per cent thought that Harris won the debate compared to 37 per cent for Trump, though a poll conducted by FOX News found that 68 per cent thought that Trump won, compared to 31 per cent for Harris. The debate was followed by a long awaited endorsement for Harris from Taylor Swift, causing a 1,226 per cent jump in voter participation on the non-partisan registration website Vote.org only an hour after the post. Kamala Harris accepted CNN’s invitation to a debate on October 23, but Trump repeatedly declined, claiming that it was “too late,” because early voting had already begun in some states.
Sept. 15: The second potential assassination attempt on Donald Trump
While Donald Trump was at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, Secret Service agents spotted a figure hiding in the shrubbery that surrounded the club, with a rifle pointed at the course. Ryan Routh, a 58-year-old man, fled the scene after being spotted and shot at by agents, but was later arrested. Routh had been camped out in the course for 12 hours, with the intent of assassinating the former president. It is likely this attack was motivated by Routh’s support for Ukraine, which he shared on X, saying he would “fight and die for Ukraine.” Trump has repeatedly said that he would stop sending military aid to Ukraine if elected.
Oct. 1: The Vice Presidential Debate between J.D. Vance and Tim Walz
The first and only vice presidential debate with J.D. Vance and Tim Walz was polite but policy-focused, described by NBC News as “Midwestern Nice.” Vance started off strong by attacking the Biden-Harris administration on the border and inflation, but Walz fired back in the second half, focusing on issues like abortion, gun control and democracy. According to a CBS poll, Vance won the debate by a narrow margin — 42 per cent to Walz’s 41 per cent, with 17 per cent of people saying that the candidates tied. Although it isn’t expected to have a large impact on the election, both candidates’ favourability increased after the debate with an increase from 40 per cent to 49 per cent for Vance, and 52 per cent to 60 per cent for Walz.
As of publishing, Harris is leading overall by 2 points (49 per cent 48 per cent), and is ahead in the swing states Nevada, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. According to Forbes, Pennsylvania is also arguably one of the most vital states to the candidates, because of its large amount of electoral votes. According to the national polling average collected by The New York Times, Trump is leading in swing states Georgia, North Carolina, and Arizona, by slight margins. Election day is Nov. 5, although early voting has started already in most states. Thirty-nine states offer early voting options to all eligible voters.