A presidential election unlike any other in US history entered its last full day Monday with Donald Trump and Kamala Harris scrambling for an edge in a contest each portrays as an existential moment for America.Even after the astonishing blur of events over the last few months, the electorate is divided down the middle, both nationally and in the seven battleground states expected to determine the outcome. The winner may not be known for days after Tuesday's vote.Former President Trump, a 78-year-old Republican, survived two assassination attempts weeks after a New York City jury made him the first former US president to be convicted of a felony. Vice President Harris, 60, was catapulted to the top of the Democratic ticket in July — giving her a chance to become the first woman to hold the world's most powerful job — after President Joe Biden, 81, dropped his reelection bid under pressure from his party.Polls have shown Harris and Trump running neck and neck since the summer.More than 78mn voters have already cast ballots in early voting.Voters have broken century-old participation records in the last two presidential elections, a sign of the passion that Trump stirs in both political parties.Both sides are flooding internet platforms and TV and radio stations with a last round of ads. Harris’ campaign team believes the sheer size of its voter mobilization efforts is making a difference, and says its volunteers knocked on hundreds of thousands of doors in each of the battleground states this weekend.Trump and his allies, who falsely claim that his 2020 defeat was the result of fraud, have spent months laying the groundwork to again challenge the result if he loses. He has promised "retribution" if elected, spoken of prosecuting his political rivals and described Democrats as the "enemy within." Harris has cast Trump as a danger to democracy.Voters responding to a late October Reuters/Ipsos poll ranked threats to democracy as the second-biggest problem facing the country, just behind the economy.Trump believes concerns about the economy and high prices, especially for food and rent, will carry him to the White House.Pennsylvania is the biggest prize among the battleground states, offering 19 of the 270 Electoral College votes a candidate needs to win the presidency.Nonpartisan US election analysts calculate Harris needs to win about 45 electoral votes on top of the states she is expected to win easily to capture the White House, while Trump would need about 51.
November 04, 2024 | 11:10 PM