US Elections 2024: Rivals Make Final Push across key swing states

US Elections 2024 (NYTimes.com Report)

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are racing across key swing states as they enter the final stretch of a close presidential election, now just 48 hours away.

Harris focuses on the Rust Belt, while Trump heads to the largest swing states for one last push to sway undecided voters.

Over 75 million Americans have cast their ballots early, and polls show a neck-and-neck race across the battleground states set to decide the presidency.

As of Saturday, polling averages from RealClearPolitics showed neither candidate leading by more than three points in any of the seven critical states.

Harris, aiming to solidify Democratic support in the Great Lakes region, is holding events across Michigan. Her stops include Detroit, Pontiac, and a rally at Michigan State University.

Trump’s schedule for Sunday includes rallies in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia — key electoral prizes in the Electoral College system.

Trump, 78, has been working to move past a controversy stemming from a rally at Madison Square Garden last week, where warm-up speakers made remarks that alienated Hispanic and female voters.

The incident, contrasted with Harris’s widely lauded speech near the White House, has spurred criticism within his own ranks.

Trump’s events on Sunday are not set in areas with large Hispanic populations; however, Pennsylvania — a pivotal state in the election — has a significant Puerto Rican community that was notably affected by the controversy.

“The choice could not be clearer for Pennsylvanians: President Donald J. Trump stands for America First policies, while Kamala Harris represents incompetence and dangerously liberal policies that are devastating Pennsylvania families,” Trump’s campaign said in a statement.

The Battle for Michigan and Voter Outreach

Michigan remains a battleground to watch closely. Trump won Michigan in 2016, flipping the state from a long-standing Democratic stronghold, but President Joe Biden brought it back into the Democratic fold in 2020.

This year, however, Harris faces challenges in maintaining support from Michigan’s 200,000-strong Arab-American community due to concerns about the Biden administration’s approach to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

There is also evidence of weakening Black voter support, a critical demographic for Harris’s coalition. Harris’s campaign has emphasized that turnout among African American men is essential for success, aiming to match Biden’s 2020 coalition.

In a bid to reach a wider audience, Harris made a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live, where she poked fun at Trump alongside Maya Rudolph, who has famously portrayed her as “America’s fun aunt” on the show.

The Harris campaign has also booked a two-minute ad to air during Sunday’s football games, including a game between the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions — teams from key swing states. In the ad, Harris vows to be “a president for all Americans” and promises a brighter future.

A campaign spokesperson explained, “The closing argument split screen of Madison Square Garden and its fallout against the Ellipse has crystallized the choice for undecided voters.”

Harris saw a significant boost on Saturday as the final Des Moines Register poll before Election Day showed her with a lead in a state that Trump carried handily in the last two elections.

She now leads by three points in Iowa, a major turnaround from a September poll showing her trailing by four.

As the race heads into the final hours, both campaigns are focusing on locking in support and making their final appeals in this closely fought election.