Winners and Losers of the 2024 Election
A week after the election, it is worth noting that Trump wasn’t the only winner, and Kamala Harris wasn’t the only loser. Lots of individuals had a lot riding on the outcome and either came out on top, or in the dumps.
Winner: Joe Biden
While many on the left blame him for Kamala’s defeat, Joe Biden actually emerges as a winner after Trump’s resounding victory. After officially dropping out of the race, Joe Biden not only avoided inevitable defeat, he paved the way for his political legacy in his party to be be the only Democrat who could defeat Trump, and can claim that he would have succeeded against Trump again, had the Democrats not forced him out.
Loser: Barack Obama
As a former president who helped move the Democratic Party further to the left, Obama’s legacy took a major hit in 2024. Despite having called for an open primary to Kamala Harris, he went all in and campaigned aggressively on her behalf. However, he failed to unite and energize the party base. Instead, his influence seemed limited, as Harris struggled to secure voter trust in key states. Obama’s post-presidential image and Kamala’s defeat severely undercuts his effectiveness as a political powerhouse.
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Winner: Josh Shapiro
The Pennsylvania governor emerged as a top contender for Kamala’s running mate, and according to reports, he allegedly declined. Perhaps he knew Kamala was doomed to lose, but by not being a part of the ticket, he managed to separate his brand from her defeat, salvaging his political legacy and setting himself up as a potential future leader within the party and an essential voice in the Democratic rebuilding phase post-2024.
Loser: Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi’s long tenure in Democratic leadership faced a tough blow with the party’s 2024 defeat. Her efforts to force Biden out of the race rally support for Harris was a huge gamble that failed to yield results. In a year that needed an iron-clad strategy, Pelosi’s influence seemed increasingly out of touch with the general electorate. With Republicans reclaiming ground across all regions and most demographics, her reputation as a reliable leader of the House suffered significantly.
Winner: Elon Musk
Elon Musk, the CEO of X (formerly Twitter), positioned himself as an advocate for free speech and was vocal in countering censorship concerns in Big Tech. His social media platform gave Trump and others on the right a more equitable platform that didn’t stifle narratives that were damaging to the Democratic Party, while helping shift narratives in Trump’s favor. Musk’s role in revitalizing a space for open debate clearly played into the election’s outcome, with his influence now firmly established in the political landscape. On top of that, he can rest easy knowing that the incoming administration won’t seek retribution against him the way the Biden-Harris administration has. (RELATED: Democrats Are Openly Broadcasting Plans to Weaponize the Government Against Trump Supporters)
Loser: Kari Lake
After narrowly losing the Arizona gubernatorial race in 2022, she decided to run for Senate in 2024, and lost. Lake’s future in Republican politics is now in question. Had she waited for a rematch against the unpopular Gov. Katie Hobbs in 2026, Lake may have had a chance. Now, it seems unlikely Arizona Republicans will take another chance on her.
Winner: Alternative Media
Alternative media outlets that consistently cover stories missed by mainstream networks saw a significant rise in viewership throughout the campaign season. Both Trump and Kamala Harris took their message to popular podcasts, reaching audiences that they otherwise wouldn’t have reached. These platforms, often critical of establishment narratives, built a loyal audience seeking information and perspectives that legacy media outlets often ignore or downplay. With Trump’s win, these outlets have solidified their role as influential players in public opinion.
Loser: Polling Industry
Once again, the polling industry at large finds itself with egg on its face. 2024 marked yet another year where national and state polls leaned heavily toward the Democratic candidate, predicting a Harris edge in battleground states. The disconnect between polling projections and actual outcomes is a major blow to an industry that has been struggling with accuracy and credibility as it faces ongoing trust issues from voters and media alike. (RELATED: Rasmussen Reports Completely Vindicated by 2024 Election Results)
Winner: Political Betting Markets
As Americans looked for signs of who would win, political betting markets saw record-breaking engagement and, in this case, were largely accurate in predicting Trump’s victory. In a field where traditional polling struggled, betting markets stood out as a more reliable indicator of the electorate’s leanings, benefiting from the faith people placed in their forecasts.
Loser: Ann Selzer
The polling industry as a whole suffered a major defeat, but no pollster’s reputation took a bigger hit than Ann Selzer. Selzer was respected pollster known for her incredibly accurate Iowa polling, saw her brand take a hit this cycle after releasing a poll showing Kamala Harris ahead three points in the state, and Trump ultimately won it by over 13 points.
Her reputation in polling has been forever tarnished alongside the broader industry’s failure to account for the undercurrents that led to Trump’s victory. (RELATED: Is This The Biggest Suppression Poll in History?)
Winner: J6 Political Prisoners
For those detained or facing charges related to January 6 for nonviolent crimes, Trump’s win is seen as a potential path to vindication and personal freedom, as he has repeatedly voiced support for revisiting their cases—particularly those being held without trial. Many of his supporters now expect action on this front, making them feel that a Trump administration might address the blatant injustices around their treatment.
Loser: Hollywood
Kamala had a seemingly endless list of Hollywood celebrity endorsements this year and leaned on them heavily to boost attendance at her rallies. The American people couldn’t have cared less. Some on the left thought the election was over when Taylor Swift and Beyoncé endorsed Kamala, clearly overestimating their impact on how people vote. Meanwhile, late-night hosts used their platforms to trash Donald Trump daily, failing to boost turnout but succeeding in shrinking their audiences.
Winner: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Kennedy’s independent run took a populist tone that resonated with frustrated voters on both the left and right. His alternative platform offered a place for those dissatisfied with both parties, and his presence underscored the growing appeal of non-traditional candidates. Dropping out of the race to endorse Trump was a huge political risk, but it worked out in the end, and likely means his pro-health agenda will get its chance in Washington, DC.
Loser: Liz Cheney
Liz Cheney’s opposition to Trump came at a high cost. Despite her vocal stance against him, and Kamala Harris' banking heavily on the ability to appeal to “Liz Cheney Republicans,” Trump’s 2024 win only highlighted her irrelevancy within the praty she betrayed by becoming a tool of the radical left.
Winner: Silicon Valley
In previous years, Silicon Valley heavyweights almost universally backed Democrats, however this year, some prominent voices broke ranks and back Trump. This came at a major risk, and the gamble paid off.
Loser: Allan Lichtman
Known for his “Keys to the White House” prediction model, which has accurately predicted elections for decades, Allan Lichtman’s credibility suffered when he predicted Harris to win in 2024 based on his model.
With Trump’s victory, Lichtman’s model, once touted for its predictive power, has lost some of its shine and tarnished his reputation. He still claims his prediction was right, but blames misogyny, racism, and misinformation for the outcome. However, I previously proved that his model accurately predicted Trump’s victory, and that Lichtman let his personal biases cloud his judgement. (RELATED: Here's Why Election ‘Nostradamus’ Allan Lichtman Got the Election so Wrong)