As Americans prepare to head to the polls, the race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump is shaping up to be one of the closest and most watched elections in living memory. It had seemed that the election would be something of a re-run of 2020 until President Joe Biden’s withdrawal in July sent all attention onto his Vice President. The Harris candidacy has raised the stakes, as the nation ponders electing its first female president or seeing a Trump return.
Kamala Harris or Donald Trump: How Many Votes Trump Require to Win?
Since she joined the race, Harris has been ahead of Trump in national polling averages, topping off with a nearly four-point lead in late August. However, in recent weeks, the gap has shrunk, bringing the two candidates into a more competitive range. While Harris is leading nationally, the battle in the state-by-state is much more complex within the U.S. system of the electoral college, where 270 votes are required to win and a few critical swing states are likely to determine the outcome.
The battleground states, four western ones and Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin show the fight, especially in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina, where Trump enjoys a slim lead in most polls. Harris has, however, been able to retain a thin lead in some of the other critical battleground states. While she led in the others by slim margins at this stage, Biden did lead in them four years ago.
Just a Few Hours!
Then, of course, there’s that nagging question about the accuracy of polls. The 2016 and 2020 elections saw Trump’s support undershot by the polls, due in part to sampling difficulties. Since then, methodologies have changed; it will be seen if this shift will last till the polling time, keeping in view that Trump is on the ticket again.
America holds its breath in the following hours, waiting to know whether Harris will be making history or whether Trump will secure himself a comeback.
Also, see: Indian Government Puts Wikipedia on Notice for Biased and Inaccurate Information