Election 2024: Donald Trump projected to defeat Kamala Harris in presidential race, wins Ohio’s electoral votes

Former President Donald Trump (left) is projected to defeat Vice President 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.]

In what was anticipated to have been a remarkably tight race, Trump’s lead was cemented by winning battleground states like Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia. According to the Associated Press, four other swing states — Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada and Arizona — have not been called.

Within the state of Ohio, Trump won with 55.26% of the vote.

If Trump does secure the race, current Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance (OH-R) (OH-R) will become 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.

If 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 Elizabeth Lombardi, president of Ohio State College Republicans, in a text. “There’s power in the people and our state has spoken.”

Neither Baldwin nor Lombardi responded to The Lantern’s request for comment in regard to Trump’s projected win by the time of publication.