What we're up against, & why we have to work harder in 2024

Presidential candidates can win more votes, but lose the election. It comes down to a few swing states. 

Biden won by 7 million votes in 2020, but in the swing states that gave him the Electoral College win, he won by only 235,992. 

 Since 2020 election, 19 states passed 34 laws that restrict access to voting, e.g. measures that make mail voting and early voting more difficult, impose harsher voter ID requirements, and increase the likelihood of faulty voter purges. 

Democrats are battling a new phenomenon in American politics: “Trump amnesia,” a softening of feeling about Trump's tumultuous term as president.

 “Trump does not dismiss the possibility of political violence around the election. ‘If we don’t win, you know, it depends,’ he tells TIME. ‘It always depends on the fairness of the election.’” He continues to promise pardons for violent January 6 rioters – who he calls “hostages” and “patriots.”  

 Russia is already spreading disinformation in advance of the 2024 election, using fake online accounts and bots to damage Democrats, according to former U.S. officials and cyber experts.  

According to survey data, Christian nationalists agree with statements like "the federal government should declare the United States of America a Christian nation," and "our laws should be based on Christian values," and "being a Christian is important if you want to be a real American." 

 “Disinformation poses an unprecedented threat to democracy in the United States in 2024, according to researchers and political scientists. Experts warn that a convergence of events at home and abroad, on traditional and social media . . . makes the dangers from propaganda, falsehoods and conspiracy theories more dire than ever.” 

According to recent polls, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s impact in 2024 is balanced. But in a close election, Kennedy remains a wild card. Regarding Cornell West, some critics argue he could draw young voters and voters of color away from the Democratic Party. He could siphon votes from Democrats in crucial swing states.