Everyone has that one friend who is absolutely convinced the 2024 results were a "tectonic shift" or a "total blowout." Then you’ve got the other friend who insists it was "barely a squeaker." Honestly, the answer to was this election a landslide depends entirely on whether you’re looking at a map of counties or a spreadsheet of percentages. Politics is weird like that.
Donald Trump pulled off something massive. No doubt. He won all seven swing states—Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. That’s a clean sweep of the battlegrounds. He finished with 312 electoral votes to Kamala Harris’s 226. He also became the first Republican since George W. Bush in 2004 to win the popular vote, sitting at roughly 49.8%.
But is that a landslide?
Historically speaking, not really. If you compare it to the real "crushers" of American history, 2024 looks more like a solid, decisive win than a map-altering avalanche.
The Definition of a Landslide: It’s Kinda Complicated
There isn’t a single, official rulebook that says, "If you win by X amount, it's a landslide." However, political scientists usually look for two things: a huge Electoral College margin and a double-digit popular vote lead.
Think about Ronald Reagan in 1984. He won 525 electoral votes. He carried 49 out of 50 states. That is a landslide. Or FDR in 1936, who won 523 electoral votes and left his opponent with just Maine and Vermont. In those cases, the other party basically disappeared for a night.
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In 2024, the margin was about 1.5 to 1.6 percentage points in the popular vote. That’s actually one of the tightest margins for a winner in the last century. For context:
- Barack Obama (2008): Won by 7.2% and 365 electoral votes.
- Bill Clinton (1996): Won by 8.5% and 379 electoral votes.
- George H.W. Bush (1988): Won by 7.7% and 426 electoral votes.
Basically, if we’re being intellectually honest, calling 2024 a landslide by historical standards is a bit of a stretch. But—and this is a big "but"—it felt like a landslide to many because of how the map shifted.
Why 2024 Still Felt Like an Avalanche
Even if the math doesn't scream "landslide," the momentum did. In almost every single state, the numbers moved to the right.
Look at the "Blue Wall" states. Trump won Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. He didn't just win them; he flipped them back after losing them in 2020. That hurts for a campaign. It creates a narrative of total dominance, especially when you consider that places like New Jersey and New York—deep blue strongholds—saw double-digit shifts toward the Republicans.
Then you have the demographic shifts. Trump secured about 46% of the Latino vote, according to some exit polls, and made significant gains with Black men. When you see a candidate breaking traditional "rules" of demographic voting, it feels like a mandate. It feels like the ground is shifting beneath your feet.
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The News Desert Phenomenon
One fascinating data point comes from Northwestern University’s Local News Initiative. They found that in "news deserts"—counties without a professional local news source—Trump won by an average of 54 percentage points. In those specific pockets of the country, it wasn't just a landslide; it was a total wipeout.
Was This Election a Landslide or Just a Really Good Night?
If you want to win an argument at a dinner party, you need the nuances.
Trump’s 312 electoral votes rank 44th out of 60 presidential elections. That’s in the bottom third of winners. His popular vote margin is the fifth smallest since 1900. If 235,000 people across three states had changed their minds, the outcome would have flipped. That’s the definition of a "close" election in terms of raw numbers.
However, the "sweep" factor is what gives it the landslide vibe. Winning 100% of the toss-up states is statistically impressive. It shows a candidate who knew exactly where the finish line was and sprinted through it.
What Actually Happened (The TL;DR Version)
- Electoral College: 312 (Trump) to 226 (Harris). Solid win.
- Popular Vote: Trump won by roughly 1.5%. Very narrow.
- The Shift: 49 out of 50 states moved more toward the GOP compared to 2020.
- Control: Republicans took the White House, the Senate, and the House.
The Mandate Question
Winners always claim a "mandate." They want to say the people have spoken with one voice. Trump is no different, calling it a "historic" and "unprecedented" victory. From a tactical standpoint, he’s right—reclaiming the popular vote for the GOP is a big deal.
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But a true landslide usually implies the losing party has been rejected by nearly everyone. In 2024, Harris still received over 75 million votes. The country is still incredibly divided, nearly 50/50.
So, was this election a landslide?
No. Not by the numbers. It was a decisive, comprehensive victory that capitalized on a very specific mood of the country regarding the economy and global stability. It was an "efficient" win.
If you're looking for the next steps in understanding how this impacts the future, don't just look at the 2024 map. Watch the 2026 midterms. Landslides usually result in long-term shifts in power. Narrow wins often result in a "correction" two years later.
Actionable Insights for the Curious Voter:
- Ignore the "Red" and "Blue" State Maps: Look at the "Purple" shift. Even in states Trump lost, the margin shrank significantly. That’s where the real story is.
- Track the "News Deserts": Keep an eye on how information reaches rural areas. The correlation between a lack of local news and high GOP margins is a growing trend that will define 2028.
- Verify the Final Tallies: Late-arriving ballots in states like California often shift the popular vote margin slightly after the media has stopped talking about it. Always check the official Secretary of State websites for the final, certified counts.
The 2024 election proved that you don't need a landslide to change the direction of the country; you just need to win the right places at the right time.