In the 2024 general election, North Carolina overall experienced decreased voter turnout compared to record numbers in 2020. National trends reflect a similar slight decrease in voter turnout this year, with a one-percent reduction between 2020 and 2024. Orange County evaded such a decrease and voter turnout was nearly the same as in 2020.

For the first time since the beginning of her public life, Kamala Harris has no obvious career trajectory. While the Vice President has been lying low since the election, she has notably been telling close aides to “keep her options open,” a particularly thought-provoking statement considering Harris’ relative youth. This begs the question, what’s next for Kamala Harris? Here are her options:

Despite warnings that Virginia’s voter purge was not narrow enough to catch only noncitizens, the state pushed on. Disturbingly, many citizens were unaware they were removed until contacted by advocacy groups or news outlets.

For Vice President Harris, invoking the horrors of a potential Trump presidency cannot mask the real, ongoing tragedies many of her Arab and Muslim constituents are already experiencing. For the Palestinian community, the conflict in Gaza has taken more than 43,000 lives, including over 16,000 children. Thousands remain buried under rubble, vulnerable to disease and starvation, with no end in sight.

Democratic leaders find themselves wondering what happened not only in North Carolina but in the other six battleground states Trump swept this election cycle.

With Republicans in control of the Senate, there will be few roadblocks to confirmation for Trump’s picks of cabinet officials and Supreme Court if Justices Alito and Thomas step down during the upcoming term. The president-elect will not have to appeal to centrists like Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Susan Collins (R-ME).