In news deserts, Trump won in a landslide
Donald Trump won the 2024 election with one of the smallest popular-vote margins in U.S. history, but in news deserts –
counties lacking a professional source of local news – it was an avalanche. Trump won 91% percent of these counties over his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, according to an analysis of voting data by Medill Journalism School’s State of Local News project.
While Trump’s national popular-vote margin was just under 1.5%, his margin in news deserts was massive. He won these counties by an average of 54 percentage points. In the few won by Harris, her margin was a comparatively slim 18 points, the analysis shows.
localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu
The number of electoral votes Trump won ranks in the middle of the pack for elections since 1960
On a percentage basis, Trump's 2024 winning margin was the fourth smallest since 1960
Trump's 2024 raw vote margin was smaller than any popular vote winner since 2000, and the fifth-lowest since 1960