US Elections 2024: One of the most closely contested elections in modern American history is coming up on November 5 between US Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
Additionally, with only one week until Election Day, there is limited time between the contenders in the few crucial states that are defining the 2024 contest.
The founding fathers of the United States stipulated in the Constitution that every one of the 50 states would have its own presidential vote.
Each state has a specific number of “electors,” determined by its population, under the intricate Electoral College system.
The majority of states use a winner-take-all system, which gives the victor of the popular vote all of the electorate.
Elections are often determined in the fiercely fought “swing states” that have a history of switching between Republican and Democratic candidates, as candidates must get 270 of the 538 electoral votes to win.
1. Pennsylvania
Once a dependable Democratic state, Pennsylvania isn’t much more competitive than the Keystone State these days.
Around 13 million people live in the most populous battleground, which Republican Trump won by 0.7 percentage points in 2016.
It was claimed by Joe Biden in 2020 by 1.2 percentage points.
Pennsylvania, a state famous for its “Rust Belt” cities like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, has been in decline for decades due to the industrial manufacturing sector.
2. Georgia
The dispute lingers in this southeastern state, which was a hot spot for elections at the conclusion of Trump’s first term.
After calling state authorities to “find” enough ballots to overturn Biden’s slim 2020 victory, Georgia prosecutors arrested Trump in an election meddling case.
However, the lawsuit is put on hold until after the election, which is good news for Trump.
3. North Carolina
Harris thinks the southern state, which has only cast a Democratic vote once since 1980, is once again in the running.
Democrats gain from the population’s growth and diversification, which currently stands at over 10 million.
A political scandal involving the state’s Republican gubernatorial candidate has further complicated Trump’s situation and angered party insiders who fear it might hurt him in a close contest.
4. Michigan
Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in 2016 by flipping Michigan, a state that had previously been a Democratic bastion.
With the support of a sizable Black community and unionized workers, Biden put it back in the blue column in 2020.
Harris runs the danger of losing the backing of the Arab American population, which numbers 200,000.
5. Arizona
Biden won the Grand Canyon state by just 10,457 votes, making it one of the most close contests of 2020.
Trump is hoping that anger over the immigration policies of the Biden-Harris administration will turn Arizona, which borders Mexico, back to his advantage.
During her September visit to Arizona’s border, Harris vowed to enforce immigration laws and work toward restoring the bipartisan border measure from the previous year, which she said Trump “tanked” for political reasons.
6. Wisconsin
Clinton lost the state after giving Wisconsin a wide room during the 2016 campaign.
It was a different situation when Biden, Trump’s opponent, converted a 23,000-vote deficit into a 21,000-vote Democratic victory, as was the case with neighbor Michigan in the Midwest.
It was the venue of Trump’s party’s summer national convention, which he believes can be won.
7. Nevada
Since 2004, the 3.1 million-person Silver State has not cast a Republican ballot. Encouraged by Trump’s gains with Hispanic voters, conservatives believe they can change the course of history.
Within weeks of winning the Democratic nomination, Harris’s economic policies to support small companies and fight inflation have wiped out that edge in the western state, where the hotel sector dominates the main city, Las Vegas.
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