By james art On Thursday, presidential candidates made a final push to activate voters in the western United States.
At rallies, Vice President Kamala Harris warned supporters that abortion rights were under threat. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump focused his campaign on immigration and border control.
What are the latest poll updates?
The latest AtlasIntel polls released Thursday show Trump holding a slight lead of one to two percentage points over his opponent. However, a separate poll by TIPP Insights shows that the candidates are currently tied.
A recent poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about 70 percent of Americans feel anxious or frustrated about the election, with few expressing 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.
Harris maintained a narrow national lead of about 1.2 points as of Thursday, according to FiveThirtyEight’s national poll tracker. However, this lead is gradually decreasing and falling within the margin of error, indicating a highly competitive race.
In critical swings that could determine the outcome of the election, the competition is even tighter.
Key battleground states include Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin and Nevada. FiveThirtyEight’s daily poll tracker shows Harris’ lead in Michigan remains slim, roughly 0.8 points. However, she lost her lead in Nevada, where Trump already leads by 0.3 points.
In Wisconsin, her lead fell 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 is back to where it was last week, now 1.4 points. Trump is also gaining ground in Arizona, where he leads Harris by 2.4 points, and in Georgia, where he leads by 1.8 points.
What was Kamala Harris doing on Thursday?
Harris’ campaign focused on what Trump said last night at a campaign rally in Green Bay, Wis., where he told an anecdote about how he told his team he intended to “protect the women of our country.”
“I’m going to do it whether women like it or not,” Trump said.
Speaking to reporters Thursday, Harris slammed the remarks as “offensive.”
“I actually think it’s very insulting to women in terms of not understanding their agency, their power, their right and their ability to make decisions about their own lives, including their own bodies,” Harris said before starting a day on a campaign in the western battle states of Arizona and Nevada.
In Phoenix, the Mexican-American group Los Tigres del Norte opened Harris’ rally with a song expressing a desire to abolish the border and unite the two countries. Founded in the 1960s, the band resonates deeply on both sides of the border and continues to captivate generations of dedicated fans.
Phoenix – Join us today.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) October 31, 2024
In Phoenix, her speech was interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters within the first 10 minutes.
Harris paused briefly to receive them. “Hey guys, you know what? That’s the thing – let’s talk about Gaza for a moment,” she said. “We all want this war to end and get the hostages out, and I’m going to work on that full time when I’m elected president, as I have been.”
Harris also contrasted her willingness to engage with those who disagree with her against Trump’s remarks about imprisoning his opponents. This was mentioned as several protesters were escorted away, and she said: “Democracy can be complicated sometimes. It’s all right. We are fighting for people’s right to be heard and not locked up for speaking their minds.
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, chanting “Kamala, Kamala, you can’t hide, we’re not going to vote for genocide,” Harris responded directly: “If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that . Otherwise, I speak.”
On Thursday, during her final stop of the day in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jennifer Lopez also spoke and had a performance by Mexican rock band Mana.
What was Donald Trump doing on Thursday?
At his first rally in New Mexico, Trump urged the crowd to vote for him, promising to resolve the border issue. The state, with five Electoral College votes, is expected to vote for Harris.
“One of the reasons we won this state is because you have one of the worst border problems of any state, and I’m the only one who’s going to fix it,” he said.
In Henderson, Nevada, Trump accused Harris of running a sloppy border policy and promised a mass deportation program if elected.
He began by demonizing migrants, saying some were “terrible, deadly” people. He also called Harris “terrible, the worst there is,” while urging supporters to vote early.
“We’re going to fix it fast, and we’re going to have an America that’s 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 donned a similar ensemble to draw attention to recent comments by President Joe Biden suggesting his supporters are “trash.”
Al Jazeera’s John Holman, who attended the rally, noted that while Trump is focused on migration, the main concern for voters in Nevada is the economy.
“Trump’s rally talked a lot about migration, but really the key issue here in Nevada for voters — according to the polls — is the economy,” Holman said.
“This is the state with the highest unemployment in the US. It was hit hard by inflation. Gas prices in particular are high, and this is a state that has never fully recovered from the pandemic,” Holman added.
During his rally, Trump also talked about inflation, and “he said briefly that he would eliminate the federal tip tax,” Holman said.
Trump also spoke at Tucker Carlson’s live event in Glendale, Arizona.
What’s next for the Harris and Trump campaigns?
Harris heads to Wisconsin
Harris heads to Wisconsin, where he is expected to hold an event in the Appleton area around 23:00 GMT, followed by another in Milwaukee around 02:00 GMT.
The Milwaukee rally and concert features performances by GloRilla, Flo Milli, MC Lyte, The Isley Brothers, 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 on Saturday to his hometown of Scranton, both in Pennsylvania, where he will seek to energize voters in that key state.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Waltz is also expected to campaign in the battleground state of Michigan.
Trump heads to Michigan and Wisconsin
Donald Trump is due to visit Dearborn, Michigan – home to the nation’s largest Arab-majority population – on Friday, where he is expected to hold a rally at Macomb Community College in Warren at 20:30 GMT.
As the Arab-American vote in Michigan has increased over the years, it has become a critical factor in major elections, such as Bernie Sanders’ 2016 primary victory in the state.
Consequently, Dearborn received significant national and international media attention during the campaign season.
Trump is the first major 2024 candidate to visit the city.
Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, who served in the state legislature as a Democrat, did not endorse either candidate, instead urging residents to “vote their conscience.”
Meanwhile, Harris’ campaign has faced outrage after former President Bill Clinton — while campaigning for her — suggested that Zionism predates Islam and that Hamas “forces” Israel to kill Palestinian civilians.