In a race in opposition to time, United States presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have traversed the nation’s swing states in a bid to woo undecided voters and bag essential Electoral School votes that might determine the winner of the 2024 US election.
Even when each White Home hopefuls safe their conventional blue (Democratic) and crimson (Republican) states, the Electoral School votes from these are unlikely to be sufficient for both candidate to achieve the magic variety of 270 wanted to cross the edge to victory.
This yr, the seven carefully watched swing states are Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nevada and North Carolina.
Right here’s a short have a look at among the key points shaping the swing states and each candidates’ stance on them:
Arizona: Immigration
Since 1952, Arizona has voted Republican in all however one election (1996) earlier than Joe Biden flipped it in 2020 for the Democrats.
This time, polls present Trump main marginally.
Arizona is a border state, and plenty of polls have proven immigration and border management as key points for a lot of of its residents. In a Might ballot by CBS Information, for example, 52 % of the respondents mentioned not too long ago arrived immigrants from Mexico had worsened dwelling situations for them.
Right here is how each candidates plan to sort out immigration and border safety:
Harris on immigration
Vice President Harris believes the US immigration system is “damaged” and in want of “complete reform”. Whereas she has pledged help for a border safety invoice that might improve detection expertise to intercept medicine and has promised so as to add 1,500 border safety brokers, Harris has additionally promised an “earned pathway to citizenship” and a rise within the variety of employment-based and household visas.
Trump on immigration
Total, Trump blames immigrants for rising housing, training and healthcare prices.
Trump’s plans embody deporting tens of millions of undocumented migrants by drive, sealing the border to cease the “migrant invasion” through the use of the navy on the US-Mexico border, and establishing detention services.
The previous president needs to reinstate the “Stay in Mexico” coverage, which requires asylum seekers to remain in Mexico till their immigration instances have been resolved. Trump additionally needs to finish birthright citizenship for youngsters born to undocumented mother and father.
The Republican candidate needs to impose ideological screening of immigrants however has proposed computerized inexperienced playing cards for overseas graduates of US universities.
Georgia: Value of dwelling
Historically a Republican stronghold, this southern state went Democratic in 2020 – however solely simply. The votes in Georgia had been counted thrice, together with as soon as by hand, however that didn’t cease Trump from controversially making an attempt to overturn the outcomes.
This time, perceptions in regards to the state of the financial system might decide how Georgia votes. A September ballot by Redfield & Wilton Methods, in partnership with the UK newspaper, The Telegraph, discovered that 41 % of Georgia’s voters considered the financial system as the one greatest situation for them.
How do each candidates suggest to ease the burden of inflation – which isn’t but right down to pre-COVID-19 ranges?
Harris on price of dwelling
Harris has promised to chop taxes for “greater than 100 million working and middle-class People” by restoring Baby Tax Credit and Earned Earnings Tax Credit. She has additionally pledged to extend Lengthy-Time period Capital Positive factors Tax from 20 % to twenty-eight %, and the company tax price from 21 % to twenty-eight % to pay for this.
With a view to assist decrease the price of dwelling, the vp has proposed a federal ban on value gouging on meals and groceries.
Trump on price of dwelling
Trump has pledged to “finish inflation” and considerably improve the Baby Tax Credit score whereas reducing authorities spending and bringing down the company tax price to fifteen %.
Michigan: Israel’s struggle on Gaza
The state of Michigan was a key cease in Vice President Harris’s final stretch of campaigning and right here is why: Harris wished to make a last-ditch effort to win over the continent’s largest Arab-American neighborhood that has been angered by the Biden-Harris administration’s unequivocal help for Israel in its struggle on Gaza.
Whereas pre-poll numbers present Harris with a slender lead within the state, Trump will hope that his “Muslim supporters” will assist him win in Michigan.
Greater than 100,000 uncommitted voters within the state have declared that they won’t endorse Harris or Trump and a few could go for the Inexperienced Social gathering candidate, Jill Stein, who has pledged to press for a ceasefire and halt weapons gross sales to Israel.
Harris on Gaza
Whereas Harris has promised to work in direction of ending the struggle in Gaza, “permit Palestinians to understand their proper to dignity, safety, freedom and self-determination”, she has additionally backed Israel’s “proper to defend itself” and has rejected an arms embargo on the US ally within the Center East.
Trump on Gaza
Trump has not revealed particular particulars about what he would do on the difficulty of Gaza. Nevertheless, throughout a gathering with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in July, Trump urged the Israeli chief to “get his victory” over Hamas. He mentioned the killings in Gaza needed to cease however that Netanyahu “is aware of what he’s doing”.
That rhetoric is consistent with Trump’s actions throughout his first run as president. His authorities recognised the disputed metropolis of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, prompting anger amongst Palestinians. He negotiated “normalisation” offers between Israel and several other Arab nations below the Abraham Accords and he pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal, which Israel additionally opposed.
Nevertheless, he has additionally argued that he’ll push for peace – and get it.
Pennsylvania: Fracking
President Joe Biden’s house state of Pennsylvania presents 19 Electoral School votes, probably the most amongst battleground states – and will show to be the state that determines who wins the election.
In latest days, Harris has gained floor there, in accordance with Democratic strategist Anish Mohanty. “Issues have modified on this election over the previous few days and the vp has pulled off her marketing campaign successfully,” Mohanty instructed Al Jazeera shortly after polls opened on the East Coast. Mohanty alluded to racist remarks in opposition to Puerto Rico by a comic at a Trump rally not too long ago as a turning level for the marketing campaign: Pennsylvania is house to greater than 480,000 Puerto Ricans.
However along with issues over political divisiveness, immigration, the state of the financial system and abortion, Pennsylvanians are involved about a problem particular to their state: Fracking.
Fracking is a type of oil and fuel manufacturing that environmentalists say is unhealthy for the setting however which is the supply of an enormous variety of jobs across the state. The follow causes earth tremors and has a excessive environmental price because the process consumes massive quantities of water, along with releasing methane, a greenhouse fuel.
An October ballot discovered that the state’s residents are divided on fracking: 58 % backed it, whereas 42 % opposed it.
Harris on fracking
Harris famously opposed fracking when she ran for president 4 years in the past however in late July, her marketing campaign officers confirmed that she is not going to search to ban fracking if elected.
Harris wrapped up her marketing campaign with a closing, glitzy occasion in Philadelphia, the place iconic speak present host Oprah Winfrey launched her.
The vp referred to as on “everybody” in Pennsylvania to vote.
“You’ll make the distinction on this election,” she instructed her supporters.
Trump on fracking
In the meantime, Trump helps fracking and has mentioned he’ll as soon as once more withdraw from the 2015 Paris Settlement to scale back greenhouse fuel emissions and also will take away environmental rules, resembling restrictions on fossil gasoline manufacturing, deemed “burdensome”. He had withdrawn from the Paris pact throughout his first time period – President Joe Biden had recommitted the US to the settlement when he got here to energy.
Wisconsin: Healthcare
Up till 2016, Wisconsin had been a reliably blue state for many years, however Trump was in a position to spring a shock, beating Hillary Clinton by wooing principally white, working-class voters who had been sad about wages, poverty and rising healthcare prices.
4 years later, Biden was in a position to deliver the state again into the Democratic Social gathering’s fold.
This time, a number of opinion polls have prompt that healthcare is probably the most urgent situation for voters, in a state that has been badly affected by the nation’s opioid disaster.
Harris on healthcare
Harris has mentioned she is going to decrease the price of pharmaceutical medicine, strengthen the Inexpensive Care Act, and decrease healthcare premiums. If elected, she may even work with states to cancel medical debt for extra individuals, she has promised.
Trump on healthcare
Alternatively, Trump says he’s “ alternate options” to the Inexpensive Care Act, which he calls too costly.
Nevada: Unemployment
Whereas Nevada has the fewest Electoral School votes – six – among the many swing states, they may nonetheless be essential in such an in depth race.
Nevada suffers from the highest unemployment price amongst all US states – solely Washington, DC has the next joblessness price – in addition to excessive prices of dwelling.
Harris on unemployment
Harris has promised to evaluation which federal jobs require a school diploma if elected president.
“We have to get in entrance of this concept that solely high-skilled jobs require school levels,” Harris mentioned at a rally in October, promising she would sort out this on “day one” of her presidency.
Trump on unemployment
At his October rally in Nevada, Trump promised to sort out inflation, however in a newer rally this month, didn’t tackle the difficulty of unemployment.
Al Jazeera’s John Holman, who attended Trump’s November rally in Nevada, famous that whereas Trump targeting migration, the first concern for voters in Nevada is the financial system.
“That is the state with the very best unemployment within the US. It’s been hit onerous with inflation. Gasoline costs, specifically, are excessive, and it’s a state that has by no means fully recovered from the pandemic,” Holman mentioned.
North Carolina: Abortion
North Carolina is the one considered one of this yr’s swing states to have been received by Trump in 2020 and though Harris doesn’t essentially must win North Carolina, any situation during which she does will make her path to 270 lots simpler.
Trump can even get to 270 with out North Carolina however doing so will likely be very troublesome.
Abortion is a key situation within the state, in accordance with polls. The state decreased the authorized restrict for abortions from 20 weeks of being pregnant to simply 12 weeks in 2023 after the US Supreme Courtroom overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade courtroom ruling granting the precise to abortion.
The ruling left the difficulty largely unresolved and turned the present election right into a referendum on elementary rights for ladies.
Democrats are hoping that the difficulty of abortion will encourage white girls, who’ve traditionally favoured Republicans and 60 % of whom voted for Trump in 2020, to now vote for Harris as an alternative.
Harris on abortion
The vp, hoping to develop into the primary feminine president within the nation’s historical past, has mentioned she is going to stop a nationwide abortion ban from turning into regulation and can signal any invoice handed by Congress that restores the legality of abortion nationwide.
Trump on abortion
In the meantime, Trump has mentioned abortion legal guidelines are for particular person states to determine and mentioned he is not going to signal a nationwide abortion ban. Nevertheless, he has not signalled that he would oppose states – like North Carolina – adopting restrictive measures in opposition to reproductive rights.