The presidential race is when candidates from the Democratic and Republican parties compete to be President of the United States. The campaign trail starts in January or February with Primaries and Caucuses, where voters use a secret ballot to choose their preferred candidate from one of the two main political parties. Then the votes are counted and the delegates that represent each state are chosen. Each party’s national convention then chooses a candidate to be the party’s nominee for president.
A presidential nomination is not guaranteed. It depends on how many votes a candidate receives in the electoral college. If a candidate wins 270 electoral votes, they become the president of the United States. The electoral college is a group of citizens called electors who are allocated by each state, the District of Columbia and some U.S. territories according to a formula that rewards states for their past support of the previous party’s presidential candidates.
In June 2024, Biden’s poor performance in a nationally televised debate with Trump raised concerns about his ability to lead the country and his fitness to serve. After the debate, several prominent Democrats and Democratic-leaning journalists, commentators, and news organizations called for Biden to withdraw from the race. He did so on July 21, announcing his withdrawal from the race and endorsing Harris to take his place as the party’s nominee.
Voting is conducted by the Electoral College, which consists of 538 members (one for each state and territory plus Washington D.C.). Typically, the majority of voters in a state will select a candidate to be their president. These votes are tallied in December, and the winner is announced.