Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned in Wisconsin, making final appeals to voters ahead of the November 5 election. This historic event marks the first time that both Democratic and Republican candidates have campaigned in the same state at the same time.
The race has tightened, with recent polls showing a close contest. Media outlets highlight the importance of swing states in determining the election outcome. Traditionally, Democrats start with 226 electoral votes while Republicans begin with 219. The battleground states—Arizona, Georgia, Michigan , Nevada , North Carolina , Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin . The total 93 critical electoral votes that both candidates are targeting.
In 2020, candidates focused on six battleground states, but the 2024 election has expanded this to seven. To win the presidency, a candidate must secure at least 270 electoral votes from the 538 total.
Arizona, which has leaned Republican historically, voted for Democratic candidates in 1996 and 2020. Immigration issues loom large in border states like Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas. Maricopa County, Arizona, the largest voting jurisdiction in the U.S. with 2.6 million voters, mailed out two million ballots for early voting, with over a million returned by Thursday.
Trump campaigned in New Mexico while Harris focused on appealing to Latino voters in Las Vegas. Georgia, with its 16 electoral votes, historically leans Republican but voted Democratic in 2020. Key issues this election include immigration, inflation, and preserving democracy.
Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state with 19 electoral votes, has seen significant mail-in voting, with 1.5 million ballots returned as of October 30. Wisconsin, once a Democratic stronghold, saw Trump win in 2016, but Biden reclaimed it in 2020. (Reuters)
