On the final full day of an unprecedented U.S. presidential campaign, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are making their last pushes in a race they each describe as pivotal for America’s future.
As both candidates vie for every remaining vote, the nation remains deeply divided, especially in the seven swing states expected to decide the outcome. With early voting surpassing 78 million ballots cast, election results may not be known for days after Tuesday.
Trump, a 78-year-old Republican, survived two recent assassination attempts, weeks after a New York jury made him the first former president convicted of a felony. Harris, 60, ascended to the top of the Democratic ticket in July when President Joe Biden withdrew from the race. If elected, she would become the first woman to hold the presidency.
Despite the campaign’s twists and turns, polls have shown Harris and Trump in a tight race since the summer. On Monday, Trump rallied supporters in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he told the crowd, “It’s ours to lose. If we get everybody out to vote, there’s not a thing they can do.”
Trump continued his day with additional stops in Reading and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Grand Rapids, Michigan. Harris, meanwhile, is focusing on Pennsylvania, where she’ll visit five cities, concluding with a rally at the Philadelphia Museum of Art featuring appearances by Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin, and Oprah Winfrey. Harris will spend election night at her alma mater, Howard University, in Washington, D.C.
Both campaigns have intensified their final voter mobilization efforts, with Harris’s team touting a record-breaking door-knocking push across battleground states. Campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon expressed confidence, noting, “We are feeling very good about where we are right now,” pointing to increased support among undecided voters, particularly women, and high early voting turnout from young voters and communities of color.
Trump’s campaign, largely relying on external groups for outreach, has focused on reaching Trump supporters who are less likely to vote, rather than undecided voters. Senior adviser Jason Miller remarked, “The numbers show that President Trump is going to win this race.”
Trump continues to allege without evidence that his 2020 defeat was due to fraud and has hinted he may challenge the results again if he loses, framing his campaign as a stand against the “enemy within.” Harris, casting Trump as a threat to democracy, expressed optimism at a Detroit church, saying, “As long as we hold on to democracy, we each have the power to shape justice.”
According to a late October Reuters/Ipsos poll, threats to democracy are among voters’ top concerns, second only to the economy, which Trump believes will drive him to victory due to high costs for food and rent.
Pennsylvania, the largest of the battlegrounds with 19 Electoral College votes, remains a crucial prize. Analysts estimate that Harris would need about 45 additional electoral votes from swing states to secure the presidency, while Trump would need approximately 51.