As election day nears, the US presidential campaign is heating up, with Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump ramping up their efforts to garner maximum votes. In the final stretch, both candidates will concentrate their efforts on the crucial seven swing states, where the outcome is far from certain and every vote counts.
The campaigns ahead are likely to focus their messages on issues including immigration, the economy, and abortion amid the heated debates on culture, democracy and character.
The candidates are set for their first debate in one week. Also, the Keystone State of Pennsylvania is set to begin its in-person absentee voting in two weeks and by the end of the month, early voting will be underway in at least four states.
In just 63 days, the final votes will be cast to decide which one of them will lead.
The presidential election has taken a dramatic turn with President Joe Biden's exit, leaving Harris and Trump in a fierce battle for the White House. According to the latest national polls, the two candidate are locked in a tight, neck-and-neck contest, setting the stage for a nail-biting finish. Former US President Trump rejects any indicators that suggest Harris is ahead, as shown by some poll analysis.
Trump makes it a point to reiterate at all possible platforms that Harris coming to power would be America’s doom.
The key seven states
The battle in the seven key states--Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin—is going to be tight in the days ahead. Harris has breathed a new life into the Democrats’ campaign especially across the Sun Belt states of Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina.
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The significant numbers of African Americans and Latinos in these four states could also help the Democratic party, say experts. These states, traditionally Democratic constituencies, seem to be rallying behind Harris since Biden stepped down from the race.
Meanwhile, Trump is actively campaigning in the Midwestern battlegrounds of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin as they have a significant number of electoral votes.
Over the next eight weeks, these seven states in addition to swing districts in Nebraska and Maine that award single Electoral College votes will draw virtually all the candidates’ attention and resources.
Trump is investing more advertising dollars in Pennsylvania than he is doing in any other state. Pennsylvania has 19 electoral votes, the highest among the swing states. A victory in the key state alone would make it difficult for Harris to earn the 270 electoral votes required to win the presidency.
The Democrats' campaign strategy also focuses on the key state.
According to AdImpact, a media tracking firm, Harris' team has over $ 280 million in television and radio reservations for the period between Tuesday and the Election Day. However, Trump's team has $ 133 million reserved for the final stretch so far and it is likely to change towards the end of the campaign.
In the rest of the five battleground states, Harris has the airwaves largely to herself at least for now.
