Former President Donald J. Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts in a New York City trial, in which jurors took 9 hours to bring back a verdict. This historic trial represents the first time a former president has been convicted of a crime, let alone a felony. After the verdict was returned President Trump spoke to reporters in which he started with a very forward comment, “This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt” before he remarked that the trial “was done by the Biden administration to wound or hurt an opponent” finally saying that “we’ll fight til the end and we’ll win because our country’s gone to hell”.

The 2024 election seems to be the most tumultuous and, in some aspects, the most surprising election in recent years. This battle pits two adversaries who have known each other for decades: Joe Biden, the 81-year-old Democrat from Delaware who was its longest-serving senator and the vice president for Barack Obama, and Donald Trump, the 77-year-old diametrically opposed Republican from New York whose real estate business was sued in 1973 for racial discrimination. After the 2020 election conspiracies, which sowed seeds of Republican distrust among the Biden administration, the Biden administration has been carefully scrutinized, villainized, and sometimes even outright defamed by Trump’s Republican base. But in the face of Trump’s actions and his conviction in a criminal trial today, which has made him the only president in American history to be convicted of a crime, many believe that race should have no question as to who wins and who loses. However, new polling data paints a much more complicated picture from the perspective of the youth and ethnic minority constituencies. According to polling data from the Catalist, in 2020, Biden led African American voters, Hispanic voters, and voters younger than 30 years of age by 79, 35, and 23 points, respectively, as compared to Trump. However, in 2024, Biden has 3 points less than Trump for young voters, according to a poll by the New York Times. Almost every single poll taken this year as compared to 4 years ago, shows a significant and noticeable decrease in Black and Hispanic support for Biden’s campaign.

Since we were little, the routine has been to wake up, brush our teeth, hop on the bus, and get to school. But COVID-19 completely changed our whole lives, especially for kids. With the simplicity of online school, we lost the normalcy of interacting with teachers and other students. It could be the ease of catching up on missed work online or simply a lack of motivation to get up in the morning. Whatever the reason, there has been a substantial decrease in student attendance. 

Heading into November, many Democrats are quick to dismiss rural areas as too red to merit their attention. However, Alpine and Mendocino Counties prove otherwise: they surprisingly vote as liberally as San Francisco or Los Angeles despite how spread out their small populations are. We must learn from their example if we want to win in 2024.

 In the puzzle of American electoral politics, certain states have traditionally been viewed as reliable examples of partisan loyalty. South Carolina, a historically red stronghold, has long been synonymous with Republican dominance. However, recent political developments and shifting demographic trends suggest that the Palmetto State may be on the cusp of a transformative shift. 

As November draws nearer, we must recognize the Biden administration’s work to strengthen ties with Europe, particularly in relation to Ukraine, the environment, and more. A second Trump presidency would destroy that stability, potentially forever.

The 2024 Presidential elections are getting closer and all signs point to another Trump vs. Biden ballot. Candidates are taking stances on controversial topics, one of the most prominent being abortion rights in America. With the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 and protests all over the country, abortion will have a massive weight in the elections. 

As the year continues to progress. The 2024 election process is in full swing, so let’s recap what has occurred so far. In order for the presidential candidates to be the main candidates in the elections they have to go through the primary elections. Primary elections are smaller elections where each state votes for a Democratic and Republican candidate that represents that party. These are usually held a couple months before the election starting from the beginning of the year to about right before the actual general election. This year's primary elections are January 15th, 2024 to September 10th, 2024. Each state has a different date on when their primaries are. You are only able to vote in one party’s primary.

Currently holding a 51-49 majority in the Senate, the Democratic Party will be seeking to maintain control after the 2024 election cycle. However, the Senate map paints a daunting picture for Democrat ambitions, with Democrats left defending seven out of the nine competitive races, according to CNN, and are all but guaranteed to lose West Virginia - thereby their one-seat majority - after Senator Joe Manchin’s retirement. With FiveThirtyEight’s polling placing President Joe Biden behind presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in all nine competitive states, Democrats seemed destined to lose Senate control. Nonetheless, early Senate polling suggests otherwise, giving Democrats a glimmer of hope for Senate success.