US elections: 4 days left – What polls say, what Harris and Trump are planning | News about the 2024 US elections
On Thursday, the presidential candidates made a final attempt to energize voters in the western United States.
During rallies, Vice President Kamala Harris warned his supporters that the right to abortion is under threat. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump focused his campaign on immigration and border control.
What are the latest updates from the polls?
Recent polls from AtlasIntel, released Thursday, show Trump with a slight lead of one to two percentage points over his opponent. However, a separate poll from TIPP Insights shows that the candidates are currently tied.
A recent survey from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about 70 percent of Americans feel anxious or frustrated about the election, while few express enthusiasm.
Both Democrats and Republicans share these sentiments, but Democrats report higher levels of anxiety: 80 percent of Democrats and 77 percent of Republicans express interest in the campaign, while only 54 percent of independents feel the same way. Additionally, 79 percent of Democrats report feeling anxious, compared to 66 percent of Republicans.
As of Thursday, Harris maintains a narrow national lead of about 1.2 points, according to FiveThirtyEight’s National Polls tracker. However, this lead has gradually diminished and is within the margin of error, indicating a highly competitive race.
In critical swing states, which could determine the election outcome, competition is even fiercer.
Major battleground states include Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin and Nevada. FiveThirtyEight’s daily poll shows Harris’ lead in Michigan remaining slim, at about 0.8 points. However, she has lost her lead in Nevada, where Trump now has a 0.3 point lead.
In Wisconsin, her lead has fallen to 0.6 points, down from 0.8 points on Wednesday.
On the other hand, Trump’s advantage in Pennsylvania increased slightly, from 0.4 points to 0.7 points. His lead in North Carolina has returned to last week’s level, now at 1.4 points. Trump is also gaining ground in Arizona, where he has a 2.4 point lead over Harris, and in Georgia, where his lead is 1.8 points.
What was Kamala Harris doing on Thursday?
The Harris campaign has relied on what Trump said last night at a campaign rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he shared an anecdote about telling his team that he plans to “protect the women of our country.”
“I’m going to do it whether the women like it or not,” Trump said.
Speaking to reporters Thursday, Harris called the comments “offensive.”
“It’s actually, I think, very insulting to women in terms of not understanding their agency, their authority, their right and their ability to make decisions about their own lives, including their own bodies,” Harris said before began a day of reflection. campaigning in the western battleground states of Arizona and Nevada.
In Phoenix, the Mexican-American band Los Tigres del Norte kicked off Harris’ rally with a song expressing a desire to eliminate the border and unite the two countries. Formed in the 1960s, the band has deep resonance on both sides of the border and continues to captivate generations of devoted fans.
Phoenix: Join today.https://t.co/JiWw1z9czB
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) October 31, 2024
In Phoenix, her speech was interrupted in the first ten minutes by pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
Harris paused to acknowledge them. “Hey guys, you know what? The point is, let’s talk about Gaza for a moment,” she said. “We all want this war to end and the hostages out, and I will work on it full-time if I am elected president, as I have been.”
Harris also contrasted her willingness to engage with those who disagree with her with Trump’s comments about jailing his opponents. This was mentioned as several protesters were escorted out, and she said: “Democracy can be complicated sometimes. It’s okay. We fight for people’s right to be heard and not imprisoned for speaking out.”
Since winning the Democratic nomination earlier this year, Harris has at times taken a confrontational stance toward protesters.
When a group of protesters interrupted her at an event in August by chanting, “Kamala, Kamala, you can’t hide, we won’t vote for genocide,” Harris responded immediately: “If you want Donald Trump to win, say so . Otherwise I speak.”
On Thursday, during her last stop of the day in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jennifer Lopez also spoke and there was a performance by the Mexican rock band Mana.
What was Donald Trump up to on Thursday?
At his first rally in New Mexico, Trump urged the crowd to vote for him, promising to solve the border problem. The state, with five Electoral College votes, is widely expected to vote for Harris.
“One of the reasons we will win this state is because you have one of the worst border problems of any state, and I am the only one who will solve it,” he said.
In Henderson, Nevada, Trump accused Harris of lax border policies and promised a mass deportation program if elected.
He started by demonizing migrants, saying some are “terrible, deadly” people. He also called Harris “terrible, the worst thing there is,” as he urged his supporters to vote early.
“We will fix it soon, and we will have an America that is bigger, better, bolder, richer, safer and stronger than ever before,” he added.
In Nevada, many of his supporters wore orange and yellow safety vests.
The fashion choice comes a day after Trump wore a similar ensemble to draw attention to recent comments from President Joe Biden suggesting his supporters were “trash.”
Al Jazeera’s John Holman, who attended the meeting, noted that while Trump focused on migration, the economy is the main concern for Nevada voters.
“There was a lot of talk about migration at Trump’s rally, but really here in Nevada for voters — according to polls — the economy is the economy,” Holman said.
“This is the state with the highest unemployment in the US. The country has been hit hard by inflation. Gas prices in particular are high, and it is a state that has never fully recovered from the pandemic,” Holman added.
During his rally, Trump also talked about inflation, and “he briefly said he was going to eliminate a federal tax on tips,” Holman said.
Trump also spoke at Tucker Carlson’s live tour event in Glendale, Arizona.
What’s next for the Harris and Trump campaigns?
Harris goes to Wisconsin
Harris is heading to Wisconsin, where she is expected to hold an event in the Appleton area at about 11pm GMT, followed by another event in Milwaukee at about 02am GMT.
The Milwaukee rally and concert will feature performances by GloRilla, Flo Milli, MC Lyte, The Isley Brothers and DJ GEMINI GILLY.
Cardi B is also expected to appear at her rally, joining a growing list of celebrities who have campaigned for her in the final days of the 2024 election.
President Joe Biden will travel to Philadelphia and Saturday to his hometown of Scranton, both in Pennsylvania, where he will try to energize voters in this key swing state.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz is also expected to campaign in the state of Michigan.
Trump goes to Michigan and Wisconsin
Donald Trump will visit Dearborn, Michigan – home to the country’s largest Arab-majority population – on Friday, where he is expected to hold a rally at Macomb Community College in Warren at 8:30 PM GMT.
As the number of Arab-American votes in Michigan has increased over the years, it has become a crucial factor in major elections, such as Bernie Sanders’ first victory in the state in 2016.
As a result, Dearborn has attracted significant attention from national and international media during the campaign season.
Trump is the first major 2024 candidate to visit the city.
Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, who has served as a Democrat in the state Legislature, has not endorsed any candidate and has urged residents to “vote their conscience” instead.
Meanwhile, Harris’ campaign is facing outrage after former President Bill Clinton – while campaigning for her – suggested that Zionism is older than Islam and that Hamas is “forcing” Israel to kill Palestinian civilians.