With a week remaining until election day (Oct. 29), voters are tuning into the latest poll numbers and debates as both candidates intensify their campaigns for the 2024 presidential election. Here is the latest on national polling, swing states preferences, voting information, candidate general policies, their appearances, and moves to gather public support.
How are Swing States and National Polls Looking?
As election days get closer, candidates are focused on campaigning towards undecided voters in the seven swing states, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, as they hold the key to the white house. Swing states are states that do not have a consistent precedent of voting for Democrats or Republicans and therefore can be reasonably won by either party. According to the Washington Post, as of Oct. 23, Harris is leading in four of the seven battleground states. Harris is ahead in Nevada by less than one point, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan by two points. On the other hand, Trump is ahead in North Carolina by less than one point, Pennsylvania and Arizona by two.
As of October 24th, national polls by FiveThrityEight and the New York Times reported that Harris currently has a one percent lead over Trump (with Harris at 49 percent and Trump at 48 percent), polls show that in the recent week, although Harris is still ahead, Trump is catching up. Note that poll numbers gathered by media sources and not the federal or state government therefore this is a margin of error, at this point of the race with polls so close either candidate could win.
Candidate General Policies
According to Pew Research Center some of the key voter issues for Harris and Trump supporters are abortion, the economy and immigration.
On the topic of abortion and womens’ reproductive healthcare, during a CNN town hall, Trump called the Supreme Court’s historic decision to overturn Roe v. Wade “a great victory.” He has stated on Truth Social, that he favors abortion to be handled by the states. Additionally, he has shown continuous support for the restrictions state legislators have implemented since the Supreme Court decision. On the other hand, Harris has repeatedly advocated for women’s reproductive rights and stated aspirations to lift abortion restrictions. Harris said in a joint MSNBC interview with Hadley Duvall, abortion rights advocate from Kentucky, “Every person of whatever gender should understand that, if such a fundamental freedom such as the right to make decisions about your own body can be taken, be aware of what other freedoms may be at stake.”
Another key voter issue is the economy, both candidates have made ambitious claims. NewsNation reported that Trump wants to lower taxes, interest rates, and create more jobs for Americans by enacting universal baseline tariffs that would tax foreign companies and protect domestic production. Annenberg Public Policy Center reported that in Trump’s last term in office, federal debt held by the public rose about 7.2 trillion. Possible influencing factors include, Trump’s tax cuts on corporate tax rate, money used to support resources for the COVID-19 pandemic etc. Harris’s policies center around forgiving student debt, bringing down the price of gas and the cost of living. During her time as vice president for the Biden Administration she helped pass the American Rescue Plan, a two trillion dollar stimulus package that boosted unemployment insurance benefits and expanded child tax credit.
Aside from the economy, both candidates have frequently been asked about their stance on immigration and border security. Trump plans to stricter border security measures by bringing back many policies from his 2015 to 2019 presidency. This includes restoring many of his zero tolerance policies, the “Remain in Mexico” program, further actions to end birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. As for Harris, in an interview with the Washington Post, she has stated support for creating more pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and aims to revive a bipartisan border security bill that addresses issues in the asylum process. Additionally she wants to limit deportations and close private immigration detention centers.
Harris and Trump’s Recent Campaign Trail
In the last leg of the race both candidates have been making visits to swing states and media appearances. Harris in the past weeks has appeared on Fox News, ABC’s “The View,” Howard Stern’s radio show, Stephen Cokbert’s “the Late Show” on CBS and many more. A Harris campaign aide said to NBC, “We’ve seen in polling that people want to get to know her better. They want to see her more, and we’re engaging with that and want to continue to do that.” Additionally the Vice President has been currently holding rallies with Former President Barack Obama in Philadelphia hoping to secure votes with undecided voters. As for Donald Trump, he is scheduled to be in Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, and Wisconsin from the 25th to the 30th of October. Additionally on Oct. 19th he did a photo-op at Mcdonalds in an attempt to appeal to voters but also as a response to Kamala’s frequent Mcdonalds anecdotes about her time as a part-time worker at the company.
Voting information
It’s more important than ever to do your own research, be mindful of press bias and misinformation, and make an informed decision. Early voting and by mail voting has started in many states. For Washington, the first day of in person early voting started on Friday Oct. 18. Monday Oct. 28 will be the last day for online voter registration and the deadline for registration by mail to be received. Tuesday Nov. 5 will be the last day for in-person voter registration, voting and mail ballots to be postmarked. Visit Washington’s election site to learn more.
