The 2024 US presidential election is coming to a close, with no clear winner for either candidate. But both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are ready to claim victory.
Both campaigns claim they have a legitimate reason to win.
Harris' campaign points to issues like abortion, along with her leading Trump by a few points in a Decision Desk HQ/The Hill poll, as helping propel her to victory.
Meanwhile, Trump's campaign pointed to polls showing that voters do not think the country is headed in the right direction, emphasizing recent cost increases and the general "climate" of the economy.
They also said that Harris has a connection to President Biden, whose approval ratings are low. Traditionally, they believe that when an incumbent president is under-approved (Biden is at 40%), the opposition party wins. They also feel good about their registration and early voting numbers.
“I think both sides have a good argument for how and on what basis they can win,” a Democratic strategist close to Harris’s campaign told The Hill. “That’s part of the reason why the race is so close and neither side has a clear advantage. Every poll is incredibly close.”
A Gallup poll released last week found that about 49% of Americans had a favorable view of Kamala Harris, compared to 44% for Trump.
Those numbers bode well for Harris, Gallup noted, since candidates with higher approval ratings have typically won recent presidential elections.
Democratic strategist Christy Setzer said Harris continues to draw large crowds to stadiums, create excitement, and control the media narrative.
Since becoming the Democratic nominee, Harris has leaned toward the issue of abortion, and Democrats say it is a smart tactic.
But the Trump campaign says its message on top issues including the economy and immigration has resonated with voters, a point even Republicans who do not support Trump acknowledge.
Karoline Leavitt, national press secretary for the Trump campaign, said Republicans have also "made huge gains in voter registration and are far ahead in early voting than they were two or four years ago in every battleground state."
Two days before the November 5 election, Harris and Trump are still neck and neck in seven battleground states. According to the final New York Times/Siena College poll, Vice President Harris has a slight lead in Nevada, North Carolina and Wisconsin, while former President Trump has a slight lead in Arizona. The two are in a tight race in Michigan, Georgia and Pennsylvania.
The poll surveyed 7,879 likely voters in seven battleground states from October 24 to November 2.
The poll found that about 40% of respondents had already voted, and Harris led among those voters by 8%. Trump led among voters who said they were likely to vote but had not yet cast their ballot.
The Pennsylvania race shows Trump is gaining momentum in a state where Harris has led by 4% in all previous New York Times election polls.
