Election 2024: Donald Trump defeats Kamala Harris in presidential race, Ohio State alum and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance will be vice president

Donald Trump (left) officially defeated Kamala Harris (right) in the 2024 presidential election. Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images via TNS [Original caption: Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris greet as they debate for the first time during the presidential election campaign at The National Constitution Center on Sept. 10, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.]

The Associated Press named Trump the official winner around 5:34 a.m. Wednesday. 

In what was anticipated to have been a remarkably tight race, Trump’s victory was officially secured by winning key battleground state Wisconsin, putting him over the 270-vote threshold to win. Within the state of Ohio, Trump won with 55.26% of the vote.

Current Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance will be Trump’s vice president, making him the first Ohio State alum to ever hold the position. 

The Republican Party has also taken control of the United States Senate, gaining a 51-42 majority at the time of publication. This comes after Ohio’s own Senate seat was flipped following Republican Bernie Moreno’s win against incumbent Sherrod Brown (OH-D) Tuesday night, per prior Lantern reporting.

The House of Representatives also currently has a 198-180 majority in favor of Republicans, though official House control is still to be determined until one party reaches 218 seats, according to the Associated Press. 

When Trump is sworn into office once again Jan. 20, he will be the first president since Grover Cleveland — the 22nd and 24th president of the U.S. — to serve nonconsecutive terms, according to Time Magazine. 

The Lantern contacted Ohio State’s College Democrats and College Republicans, respectively, to learn how each group feels about Trump’s win within Ohio, which was announced before the Associated Press confirmed Republican Bernie Moreno defeated incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown around 11:27 p.m. 

“We are sad to hear about Trump taking Ohio, but the night is still young, and we look forward to reelecting Sherrod Brown and passing Issue One!” said Jo Baldwin, president of Ohio State College Democrats, in a text.

“Trump winning the swing state of Ohio not only secures much needed electoral votes to win this election, but can also be seen as a huge win for our College Republicans organization,” said Lizzie Lombardi, president of Ohio State College Republicans, in a text. “There’s power in the people and our state has spoken.”

When official results were called Wednesday morning, The Lantern sought out each group’s reaction to Trump’s national win.

“While it wasn’t the outcome we wanted, Ohio State College Democrats [respects] the results of the election,” Baldwin said. “We will continue to fight to equal rights for everyone. As an organization, we will urge our newly elected officials to protect our communities and urge representatives to act against policies that harm marginalized communities.”

“We are super excited to see Trump regain the office as the 47th President of the United States. Trump won the popular and electoral vote by succeeding in battleground states and by gaining the support of people he didn’t reach in 2020,” Lombardi said. “Additionally, it is exciting to see that our party gained majority in the Senate. We are excited for the next four years of having him in office!”