Political experts discuss 2024 election results with Holloway at Eagleton event

On Wednesday, the Eagleton Institute of Politics, in conjunction with University President Jonathan Holloway's Byrne Seminar "Citizenship, Institutions, and the Publics," hosted a webinar panel titled "The Morning After" to discuss the results of the 2024 election. 

The panel was moderated by Holloway, and the panelists were Ronald Chen, former dean of Rutgers Law School and current general counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, Michael DuHaime, former political director of the Republican National Committee and adjunct faculty at Eagleton, Kimberly Peeler-Allen, co-founder of Higher Heights for America PAC, which supports electing progressive Black women and Debbie Walsh, director of Eagleton's Center for American Women and Politics.

All the panelists began with their broad reflections on the election.

Chen said that the lack of election interference points to the existence of healthy democratic institutions in the country and that although the election may not have gone the way he wanted, former President Donald J. Trump was clearly favored by the American people and that decision must be respected.

Peeler-Allen said she had mixed feelings about the results because although her organization supported the losing presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris, two senate candidates that they endorsed, Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), were victorious. She also said that the results of the election point to a need for evaluation of the country's views on women and power.

"This election highlights the fact that racism, sexism and misogyny are very much alive and well, and it is not just coming from white men, it is coming from every demographic in this country," Peeler-Allen said.

DuHaime said that as a Republican, he has struggled with the direction of his party under Trump, and this year's election results show a clear realignment of electorate sentiment and demographics.

The panelists highlighted the importance of peaceful elections and democratic institutions.

"This is what makes America unique. We settle our differences at the ballot box," DuHaime said.

Holloway then asked the panelists about what the implications of this election cycle are both up and down the ballot, particularly for each major party.

Peeler-Allen said the Democratic party may need to reevaluate whose voices are heard and listened to. Whether this evaluation will lead to actual change she was unsure of.

DuHaime said he thinks Trump's emergence onto the political scene a decade ago changed the political field for both parties, but the Democratic party had possibly not realized this.

"I believe Trump has reshaped the (Republican) party from both an ideological point of view but on very specific policy pieces that are very different from John McCain, George W. Bush and previous Republicans," DuHaime said.

The panelists also touched on the election results' implications in New Jersey specifically.

DuHaime said that the fact that Trump got approximately 45 percent of the vote in New Jersey is indicative of national trends of dissatisfaction with issues like inflation. New Jersey did elect Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) to the senate who will be the country's first Korean American senator.

Questions from students were about the validity of third-party candidates and the effects of social media on people's political beliefs. Peeler-Allen said that third-party candidates have more opportunities in down-ballot races, but running as a third-party candidate is extremely hard, a sentiment echoed by DuHaime.

Holloway ended by emphasizing the recency of these election results and that there will be more information and developments in the coming days about the president-elect and his administration as well as other races.

"There are some institutions and practices that are thriving, in a sense. They may not feel thriving in the way you like them to thrive, but that's the nature of a democracy," Holloway said.