Our balanced team of people on the right, left, and center reacted to the results of the 2024 presidential election. Here’s what they had to say, beginning with our three co-founders.
John Gable, cofounder and CEO (Lean Right bias)
On election night, I continually switched between Fox and CNN. There were of course differences, but the similarities and shared hopes for the future were more interesting.
Both talked about how regardless of who won, a strong, clear victory can help our country. They both talked about how this can help the Democratic Party in the long run, saying they would benefit from an internal critical review of where they have been, where they are going.
They also both offered soothing reassurances for the never-Trumpers on the left and right.
On CNN, Jake Tapper reassured those on the left who might assume that this election was about ugliness or hate among their fellow Americans. He described that it wasn’t about that for those voters who made the difference in the swing states. They don’t like the country the way it is now, especially on the top 3 issues which Trump ran on: economy/inflation, immigration and foreign policy. He said he knows “there are people out there who are worried that … this vote for Donald Trump is a statement of dislike of them, and I don’t think that is what people should read into these election results”.
On Fox News, Sean Hannity and others spoke about the completion of the realignment of the Republican Party to become the party of blue collar working people. While union bosses are still in the Democratic Party, the union members and other workers have now turned Republican looking for relief from inflation, taxes, regulations, and a ruling class that seems to have very different priorities. While many of those conservative policies are consistent with the traditional Republican Party, the old party was often out of touch with average workers. Hannity and others reassured traditional Republicans and never-Trumpers from the right that this was a realignment that is good for the party and the country.
And they all spoke about their shared hope of reducing divisions and doing good work to serve the American people. That is something we can all get behind.
Joan Blades, cofounder and bridging activist (Left bias)
Heartbroken is a word I have heard and read a lot today. I am worried for my friends, family and our country.
I have been engaged in bridging work for over two decades because I don’t believe we are going to be able to solve our complex problems unless we do it together. So far bridging has not been a priority for most people or funders. Polarization continues to increase because - it is good for business- it is good for drawing attention- it is good for winning fights. But fights don’t get us working together on our shared goals with everyone’s best ideas. They shut down certain kinds of creativity. And fear is not great for collaborative problem solving either. We are stuck in a polarization spiral.
Climate change was what brought me into this work. I made friends with people with very different views. And I learned a lot. Including that our goals often are much more aligned than we realize. And that I can have meaningful friendships with people who I disagree with and find ways for us to work on what we do agree about. So building understanding and connection is what I continue to envision- even when it is hard. If we succeed at this I’m hoping we will never have another election where I feel like one of the candidates takes pleasure in stoking my fears and the fears of people I care about. Ultimately it is about always seeing each other’s humanity and caring about each other even when we disagree. We need to do this- and it is up to us.
Scott McDonald, cofounder and CTO (Center bias)
The forest was shrinking but the trees kept voting for the axe, for the axe was clever and convinced the trees that because his handle was made of wood he was one of them.
- Turkish proverb
Krystal Woodworth, Growth Specialist and Executive Assistant (Center Bias)
I’ve always taken the right and responsibility to vote very seriously, and have voted in every election since turning 18. By 6:30 PM Eastern Time, with 0% of the votes counted, major outlets were declaring my state for Kamala Harris. My county voted in the tidy 70/30 split it usually does.
I’m not surprised that Donald Trump won this election. I knew he would when I started seeing headlines like Why Are People So Down About the Economy? Theories Abound and Economists explain why Americans feel inflation, economy are much, much worse than they actually are.
The Biden-Harris administration, backed by the Democratic Party, many establishment economic experts and left-leaning legacy news outlets, collectively attempted to gaslight Americans into thinking the economy is great.
Yes, economic measurements, projections and policy are complex and there are infinite variables we could talk about, but to grossly oversimplify: If you didn’t struggle to pay for college in your early twenties and thirties, if you bought your house when prices and interest rates were low, and if you had reliable and affordable childcare – you are experiencing a wildly different economy than someone that struggles with even one of those things.
Trump didn’t even need a plan to fix the economy, and the reality is, we are still very much experiencing the effects of Trump’s first crack at it. But people didn’t vote for his plan – they voted because they felt seen. Despite our attempts to evolve into rational creatures, humans are still mostly emotional decision makers that horde whatever research supports our preconceived biases. People had a choice between “I’ll fix this economy” and “You’re welcome for this economy.”
This year I missed the chance to vote by mail and when Election Day rolled around, I grappled with the choice: Spend 2 hours voting in an election for which there were no meaningfully competitive choices, or catch up on emails?
This election may not be a fresh start, but at least my inbox is.
Evan Wagner, News Editor and Product Manager (Lean Left bias)
Pundits of all stripes are clamoring to tell you why Republicans’ across-the-board victory over Democrats is evidence that their pet issue is most important. I agree with Freddie DeBoer that you can’t chalk up such a resounding loss to any one thing. Yes, there were reasons why Harris and congressional Democratic candidates lost, and the party needs to figure them out — but pundits will not have the answers. The electorate has the answers, and the Democratic party must relearn how to listen to it.
Since the 2016 Democratic primary, the party’s leaders have been risk-averse to the point of self-sabotage and obsessed with suppressing internal discussion. When Biden announced he would run for re-election, and again when he exited and Harris was immediately anointed the nominee, I was disappointed and angry. The Harris campaign was undeniably media-shy until the final two months or so, and when confronted with questions about absurd, extreme things — such as non-medically-necessary abortions in the ninth month and transgender surgeries for unauthorized immigrants in prison — Harris could not bring herself to say “yes, of course I oppose those things.” Her and Walz’s instincts were to avoid controversy with any gettable bloc of voters; when divisive issues came up like the wars in the Middle East, with no risk-free responses available, they froze.
I still believe there’s a silent majority of level-headed voters who want nothing more than to kick all the polarizers out. The Democratic party did not prove itself a standard-bearer for those people in 2024. Taking up that mantle will require leaders who are open to finding common ground, somewhat flexible in what they consider the boundaries of appropriate discussion, and prepared to reject counterproductive people and ideas.
Democrats need to have robust primaries again, without the national party apparatus trying to police their outcomes. And the neurotic establishment elements of the party must be banished, as Republicans have banished their own establishment over the past eight years. In a healthy party, you don’t get to be in charge just because it’s “your turn.” You get to be in charge because voters want you to be in charge.
Julie Mastrine, Director of Marketing and Media Bias Ratings (Lean Right)
Trump won despite Kamala Harris and the Democrats having the full weight of legacy media behind them. An onslaught of coverage slanted in Harris’ favor, biased debate hosts, and hostile prime time interviewers ultimately did not convince Americans, who now have access to truly democratic, open avenues of information that are not gatekept by establishment interests.
The shift cannot be ignored. In the final days of the campaign, Trump and JD Vance appeared on podcasts like Joe Rogan and Theo Von, which each earned a combined 50 million views. Americans turned away from slanted coverage that misrepresents, belittles and betrays them, instead favoring media offering long-form, open conversations that aren’t clipped and cropped to suit an agenda.
As long as legacy media refuses to turn an eye away from its bias and shirks traditional journalistic values of objectivity and fairness, they will continue to be mistrusted. Maybe eventually, they won’t be so shocked when Americans turn toward candidates that speak to them instead of trying to manipulate them.
Shane Maguire, Content Intern (Left Bias)
In the coming weeks, months, and years, you will hear from a variety of pundits and ideologues that “this is the reason Harris lost!” or “that is the reason Harris lost!”. But make no mistake, it doesn’t matter how many Hispanic, African-American, or what-have-you voters abandon Harris — this was a national repudiation of the entire Democratic party. Overnight, Donald Trump transformed from the unpopular populist who upset 2016 without the popular vote, to winning the popular vote by a significant margin, as well as leading the new, Trump-centered GOP to a devastating majority in the Senate and possibly a House majority as well (the House of Representatives has not been called at the time of writing this).
How can the media explain this sweeping victory? It was quite literally yesterday that much of the media was lining up behind the Harris-Walz campaign, only for the result to be a crushing and near-absolute defeat of the Democratic Party. The pollsters weren’t even able to accurately call it, as the tight race they predicted proved not to be quite so tight after all, as Trump won every battleground state (Arizona and Nevada are still being counted at the time of writing, but are projected for a Trump victory), including the elusive Rust Belt that formerly held the title of the “Blue Wall”. How could anybody explain this victory? I think many individuals on the left and in the Democratic party are still trying to understand the psychology which led to the second Trump upset, and wrap their heads around such a surprising defeat. I believe, however, that it’s just a simple matter of the Democrats running a moderate, more of the same platform in an environment and economy that’s become increasingly dysfunctional for most working and middle-class Americans.
Again, overnight, Republicans, particularly at their most polarized, have essentially seized control of the U.S. government, SCOTUS, the Senate, the presidency, and possibly even the House. Liberals and the left are in complete disarray, and the Democrats will need to reckon with whether or not they can continue to conscientiously run moderates or if they should heed to the call of the progressive element of the party and embrace the kind of left-wing thought embodied by people like Bernie Sanders (who, after I had written this, also called the Democrats out on the cop-out, corporate centrism that likely cost them this election).
Following this defeat, if the Democrats want to win against the new Trump-era Republican party, they will need to seriously consider their identity as a party and choose a new, progressive path going into the midterms and 2028. They can’t run on being more of the same non-Trump forever in an America that has gotten increasingly exasperated with the increasingly greed-fueled, dysfunctional status quo.
Malayna J. Bizier, News Analyst and Social Media Editor (Right bias)
The president only has so much power. He can’t declare war. He can’t make laws. In fact, he can’t even interpret laws. So, why is it such a big deal that Donald Trump beat Kamala Harris in the 2024 Presidential Election?
To many, this election represented either a win or a loss of one’s rights. On social media, concern for minorities’ rights under Trump’s future presidency spread extensively; meanwhile, those in the pro-life community thanked God for a president-elect without a radical pro-abortion stance. In reality, Trump is not going to single-handedly (or even multi-handedly) take away the right to same-sex marriage, for example; and, even if abortion were made completely legal, parents will not be forced to abort their children.
All of that is to say that it’s not necessarily about who won the most electoral votes this week. It’s about the culture that this leads us toward as a country. Despite the vast line of political division, most of us are looking for a culture of good, which I still believe we can work toward together. Last night, I saw a culture of hope and of longing. I saw people who have so much in common but are still a bit too paralyzed by hatred to find it, people who want to have families and the resources to care for them, and people who want to be healthy– and safe– and have support in doing so. I saw people who no longer want to be grouped into stereotypes and people who are so tired, yet so willing to keep fighting to see what’s truly right in front of them.
Henry A. Brechter, editor-in-chief (Center bias)
To me, Trump's win proves at least one thing: that people are growing more apathetic toward our divisive politics and media cycles.
Trump outperformed his 2020 results almost everywhere, from major cities to rural counties to Latino voters to black voters to middle-class voters. The Republican position on abortion may have hurt him with women, but that was offset by gains made with other groups, likely on issues such as crime, economics, and immigration.
This followed months of attempts by opponents to tie Trump to Hitler and fascism, aided in part by biased media coverage, in addition to numerous criminal charges Trump faced regarding attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, hush-money payments to a pornstar, and taking classified documents. Exit polls showed Harris with a higher favorability rating than Trump, and polls suggest Americans generally disapprove of Trump's personality. Yet, they voted for him more widely than they did in 2020.
Rarely is the president-elect the least “likable” of the options. But Trump’s legal issues and demonization by his opponents didn’t turn the populace against him. If anything, these efforts may have expanded his base.
Johnathon Held, News and Bias Assistant (Lean Right bias)
For the past four years, our nation has watched as the government, in my view, has exploited an elderly person with clear medical challenges. Joe Biden should never have been placed in the position to continue as President, nor should he have been allowed to seek a second term. After years of enabling this situation, the mainstream media and the Democratic Party have abruptly shifted, discarding Biden and, in what appears to be a coordinated effort, positioning Vice President Kamala Harris as the candidate. She was thrust forward without the test of a primary, circumventing the usual democratic process.
But the American people have risen in response. We turned out to stand against the open-border policies championed by Biden and Harris. We voted to protect the Constitution and defend our God-given right to free speech. We stood up for our children, resisting ideologies prematurely imposed on their young minds. And we have declared that we can no longer accept the tragic loss of innocent unborn lives.
We have raised our voices to reverse the tide of inflation—not with policies inspired by a communist playbook, but with common-sense strategies that strengthen the power of a free market. Our votes reflect a choice to challenge elite-controlled mainstream media outlets, which have fueled division and spread misinformation while deceiving the American people.
Sara Oppenheimer, Content Intern (Left Bias)
While I am deeply, deeply disappointed in the results of the election, I cannot say I’m shocked. The rise of right wing ideology in this country has been a long time trend, and it affects more political ground than simply the presidential election. With last night’s results, Donald Trump is not only back in office as president, but the Senate now has a Republican majority and 27 out of the 50 states have a Republican Governor. While another four years of Trump sounds terrible, what scares me more is the culture shift in this country (and, quite honestly, worldwide) that allowed this to happen.
I’m a Floridian, which means I have been directly affected by far-right policy and leadership. Censorship runs rampant in our schools as our education system steeply declines. I have stood utterly powerless as several of my friends and family have lost right after right in the name of some blind tirade against “wokeness”-- which, in the last five years of DeSantis’s time as governor, no one has been able to define for me. With the Republican sweep across legislative and executive elections (both national and gubernatorial), I fear my state, which I have loved all my life but can no longer stand, is not longer a fringe case.
My best friend, a trans woman currently living in Tallahassee, texted me early this morning as Trump won Pennsylvania. She asked one thing of me– “tell me everything is going to be okay.” I couldn’t answer that in good faith. The Republican Party– a party I have long defended despite being a staunch Democrat– is not something I can respect anymore. Long gone are the days of a party which ran on making the hard, but necessary decisions to keep the country afloat, a party which prided itself on economic prosperity and personal freedoms. In its wake is only hatred, wearing the skin of its former self.
Alice Sheehan, CFO/COO and Director of Schools (Center bias)
Today I was reminded how ideologically segregated we are. I don’t know anyone in my local vicinity that voted for Trump. Zero people. I voted for Kamala Harris, constitutional protection in my state to abortion, school choice, veterans property tax exemptions, and repealing a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
But I do know people who voted for Trump. I work with them and I’m related to them and I love them and respect them. In my bubble, I heard a lot today that the country that voted for Trump wants to keep women down and hates minorities. While easy, this narrative is too convenient and lets those of us on the losing side of this equation off the hook from deeper reflection.
I voted for Harris because the night after Roe vs. Wade was overturned, I didn’t sleep. I thought about the opportunities I had, the choices my grandma didn’t have, and worried for my daughter’s future. Due to personal, largely religiously driven choices and (let’s be honest) a good bit of luck, I never was in a position to face an abortion choice. I also never had a miscarriage, but I’ve sat with friends who did. You know what the medical procedure technically was? Abortion. But they desperately wanted that baby. They are also thankful to be alive and hopeful to have a child in the future.
I also voted for Harris because I don’t trust Donald Trump. I think Harris is more rational, thoughtful, smarter, and experienced in governing. I hope that his administration bolsters the economy, but I fear the worst. Ultimately, I embrace plurality and I refuse to vilify anyone that voted for Trump.
I am deeply disappointed and my personality is to get to work. I am going to…
…keep supporting recent arrivals in my community who need help stabilizing their lives (just like my ancestors did) and have so much to offer.
…keep working at AllSides and fixing this toxic mess of an information ecosystem that we are in.
…keep showing up in my Catholic faith community and representing how a pro-choice future is theologically sound.
…keep investing my children in learning Spanish, because it will be an economically important language in this country and that’s a good thing for us all.
…keep working to build a civics advocacy group in Colorado so that everyone understands–and can engage in–our government.
If you’re disappointed in the results of the election at the national level like I am, I encourage you to put down your damn phone and get out there and do something about it, preferably at the local level where we can have a bigger impact.
Emanuel Macuixtle, Content Intern (Left bias)
Apathy or ignorance? In the weeks up to the election, the Harris campaign did not provide a direct response to valid concerns from the electorate. “What is your position on the Gaza conflict?” “What is your solution to a weakened economy?” The lack of commitment from the Democratic Party to answering these concerns have further dampened the party’s public perception even among its main voter bloc. One has to wonder if the party is simply ignorant of these concerns and the effects of these topics on election day, or if they are simply apathetic to it.
What is the identity of the Democratic Party? Possibly the greatest takeaway from this dramatic loss is the concern of identity. For better or worse, the Republican Party has a strong identity, with a strong definition of the “us vs them” group dynamic. The Democratic Party? For many on the left, the Democrats are simply not “left” enough. For some on the right, the Democrats are not “right” enough. If the Democratic Party does not have a decisive position on the political spectrum, they will likely lose further support against a strong and unified Republican Party.
Olivia Geno, News and Bias Assistant (Lean Right bias)
For the first time, I find myself in agreement with Bernie Sanders regarding his response to the election. Kamala Harris, in part, lost because, despite the Democrats’ claims to champion the working class, their policies have not reflected that commitment. This disconnect is one reason why we saw so many people turning out for Trump both times he won.
However, I am a conservative, but I voted for Harris. While I could elaborate on the many ways in which Trump diverges from the principles of true Reagan or McCain-style Republicanism, my decision ultimately came down to choosing morality and integrity over policy. There is simply too much evidence against Trump’s character to ignore. He is a liar and a convicted felon. He obstructed the peaceful transfer of power in 2020, attempted to steal the election, and incited an insurrection. To quote Senator Mike Lee from 2016, “If anyone spoke to my wife or daughter… the way Mr. Trump has spoken to women, I wouldn’t hire that person, wouldn’t be associated with that person, and certainly wouldn’t be comfortable hiring that person to be the leader of the free world.” He mocked our U.S. military, and 13 former Trump administration officials have signed a letter calling him a fascist who has even praised Hitler. How can we trust that Trump will follow through on his stated promises given his history of being an untrustworthy character? He didn't follow through last time he was president. For these reasons and many more, I believe voting against Trump was the only patriotic choice.
America thrives when we can work across the aisle, but since 2016, divisiveness has plagued Congress because the GOP does whatever Trump wants instead of what is right. It is deeply troubling to me that a person with such a reckless disregard for integrity and democracy is supported by so many Americans. While I do not align with Kamala Harris on many issues, I do agree with her that our nation desperately needs healing from the divisiveness that extremism, on both the left and the right, has fostered.
Andrew Weinzierl, Bias Research Manager & Data Journalist, Lean Left bias
As my title might suggest, I’m a big data nerd. I have been following news, prediction markets, polls, and so much more around the race and the state of the nation. And I am not surprised by the result.
Many people are fatigued over the status quo. I totally get it. Inflation is up, and as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic disruptions, I think Harris – along with many world leaders – took a big hit at no (little, maybe?) fault of her own.
AllSides’ 2024 Presidential Election Model forecasted a close race, along with many other polls and models. Did something go wrong here, with such a decisive victory for Trump? I don’t think so, actually – all five of the swing states we projected in the final version were within a standard margin of error of going to either Harris or Trump. Polling error is to be expected, and is critical in understanding the potential outcomes of a race. As Elliott Morris at 538 said last week, “Trump and Harris are both a normal polling error away from a blowout.”
Personally, I am nervous about a second Trump presidency. Forget his rhetoric for a moment. He has proposals that could send our economy into freefall and balloon our already scary national debt. Will he 100% complete a physical wall on the U.S.-Mexico border? Enact at least a 20% tariff on all goods? Deport over 10 million illegal immigrants?
Like his 2016 election, Trump has made a lot of promises that just don’t seem feasible. But this time around, he has called further into question the public institutions that hold our nation together. He has questioned our Constitution and rule of law on multiple occasions. These are the very democratic norms that hold us together, and dozens of people in his previous administration have come out against his re-election bid for these reasons. Now, we don’t have to imagine what a second Trump presidency will look like – we get to experience it and hope it doesn’t erode our republic. I hope I am wrong.
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