The Associated Press’ top photos of the 2024 election

Associated Press photographers captured voters with raw emotions of joy, excitement, contemplation or sorrow

WASHINGTON — It’s a photograph that defined the 2024 campaign. Donald Trump, campaigning for a second term, raises a fist defiantly toward the sky, blood streaked across his face.

But the photo captures just one millisecond of a U.S. presidential campaign unlike any that came before it.

Trump faced charges and was convicted of a felony in New York City. A bullet from the rifle of a would-be assassin grazed his ear. He appeared days later at the Republican National Convention with a bandage on his ear, an iconic image that further galvanized his supporters and became a symbol of his defiance.

The current president, Joe Biden, dropped out of the race weeks before the Democratic convention, bowing to unrelenting pressure from his party following a disastrous debate performance. He was replaced atop the ticket by the first woman of color to be nominated for president by a major party.

Associated Press photographers were there to document all of it. Not just the historic episodes, like Evan Vucci’s image of a defiant and bloody Trump, but also intimate moments, like Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff giggling aboard Air Force Two.

They captured voters with raw emotions of joy, excitement, contemplation or sorrow. Billionaire Elon Musk jumping, arms raised above his head, as Trump stands at a lectern. Harris and Biden sharing a moment on stage after he passed the torch at the DNC.

This gallery shows the year in images, as seen through the lenses of AP photojournalists.