Congratulations, Mr. President-elect.

My initial thoughts on the 2024 election

Congratulations to Donald Trump on completing what can only be described as the greatest political comeback we have ever seen.

When the former President left office in 2021, he was at the lowest point of his political career. He was the first Republican President to lose re-election since George H.W. Bush. He had been impeached for inciting his supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol. He has faced multiple criminal indictments and ran what was regarded as the worst general election campaign anyone has ever seen.

Despite it all, he appears on track to become the next President of the United States — making him only the second former President to return to office after having lost re-election.

I want to start off by saying, as someone who voted for Vice President Kamala Harris: thank you, Madame Vice President, for stepping into such an improbable role at an inopportune time. Never in our history have we seen a change at the top of a national ticket so late in the political calendar. But you left it all on the field in a situation no other candidate has ever faced, and I will always admire you for that.

I really don’t know what to make of these results at first glance. But the easiest way to read all of this is a massive repudiation of an unpopular administration — of which Vice President Harris is a part of. Her answer on The View — when she was asked if she would have done anything differently than President Joe Biden during his administration — was played on a loop by the Trump campaign sign that interview aired,

Republicans appear to have done a successful job reminding voters of that.

We must also acknowledge that Donald Trump appears likely to become the first Republican presidential nominee to win the national popular vote since 2004. He has put together the most diverse coalition in the history of his party, an otherwise unattainable feat just mere months ago.

It is my hope that after a jaw-dropping campaign — one that saw a sitting President bow out of the race and two assassination attempts on your life — you will become a President for all Americans. As Vice President Harris said the campaign, there is more that unites us than divides us. I hope you will hold true to that calling as our 47th commander-in-chief.

So as we process these election results — on my 23rd birthday, no less — I worry that the future of our country is as uncertain as ever. Even as someone who studies politics, I will be the first to admit that even I have a hard time explaining it all to those who don’t follow it closely.

It will take a while for me to figure out how to explain this particular result to you all, because I can’t say that I was expecting it. We knew heading into Tuesday night that we were expecting a tossup race, but I largely agreed with the consensus that the “Blue Wall” would put Vice President Harris over the top.

It didn’t.

What I know is this: Donald Trump will be taking the oath of office as the 47th President of the United States. And I am about to graduate from college during a rather uncertain time for our country.

I will have more words to say about the results of this election in the days and weeks to come. But for now, I plan on taking some time to myself and turning my attention to making sure that I complete my undergraduate journey.

I want to thank all of you for being such loyal followers and readers of mine for these last few years. Make no mistake, this newsletter is not disappearing. I will still be popping in on the state capitol during the 2025 session and providing you all with constant updates on Georgia politics (who knows, perhaps in a more professional capacity?)

But for now, I need some time to relax and decompress. Spend some time with family and friends, get back into my gym routine, enjoy my final few months in college and maybe go on a little vacation or two. This has been an election unlike anything we have ever seen and I am as determined as ever to complete my undergraduate studies and move back to Atlanta.

As this campaign comes to an end, I am reminded of a piece of scripture that I woke up to on Tuesday morning:

“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”

-Psalms 133:1

So as the dust settles on this campaign, I hope we can do what half of the country didn’t do four years ago: accept this result and return to a healthy political discourse. This campaign has been defined by ugliness and it is time for us to move forward and address the important issues that voters are facing.

I try to find more say about this election before the holidays. But for now, I plan on enjoying my birthday and completing the remainder of my undergraduate education.

Until then, try and be kind to one another.