Critical Analysis

Find answers to the following questions using the visual above, any links below, your big brain, and your knowledge of American government and politics:

1. How long was the 2024 presidential campaign in days, in weeks, in dog years?

2. Describe how long the 2024 presidential campaign felt to you.

3. How surprised are you by this information and what questions do you have about it?

4. The winner of the 2024 election was Donald Trump. Some would say that because of the length of the campaign, the loser of the election was the American people. Describe one cost of the length of the 2024 presidential campaign and describe one benefit of the length of the campaign.

5. One students said that she wasn’t happy about the outcome of the election, but at least she was glad that it was over. How long do you think the ideal presidential campaign would be and do you think it would be fair to call this year’s election a campain???????

6. In 2024, we spent over $5.5 billion on the presidential campaign alone (Congressional races cost another $10 billion). How do you think spending would change if the length of the campaign were cut down to 90 days as it is in Mexico.

7. By law, Japanese elections are limited to 12 days. Why do you think America has almost constant presidential campaigns?

8. There are only about 1450 days in a presidential term. Almost half of Joe Biden’s term of office was spent running against Donald Trump for reelection. How do you think these endless presidential campaigns impact the ability of presidents to govern?

9. President Trump is barred by the 22nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution from running in the next election. We are 1455 days away from the 2028 presidential election. How does that make you feel?

10. What do you think the impact of such a long presidential campaign is on voter turnout?

Write and Discuss

Take ten minutes to write about the question at the top of the page and then discuss with your classmates.

Act on your Learning

Depending on your opinion of the length of U.S. presidential elections, complete one of the following:

1-Contact your congressional representative and ask them to propose a law limiting the length of U.S. presidential elections

2-Write a letter to the editor of a major newspaper in your state explaining the benefits of our long U.S. presidential campaigns. 

Get Creative

If the 2024 presidential campaign were an emotion, what emotion would it be?

Learning Extension*

Listen to the entire NPR story on the length of the permanent campaign for U.S. president.