Election Day is November 5, 2024 — less than eight weeks away. But although we’re nearing the home stretch, if there’s one thing that’s true about American politics, it’s that things tend to change and develop extremely quickly. Below is a recap of recent occurrences regarding the presidential election, as well as a quick look at what’s ahead as campaigns come to a close.
On Tuesday, September 10, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to square off in their highly anticipated debate. As the fresh nominee for the Democrats, Harris sought to unify her distressed party and the significant percentage of the American population whose confidence in Biden was decreasing due to his age; Harris is59 years compared to Biden (81) and Trump (78).
That’s not to say that she hasn’t faced her own challenges; on the contrary, her extremely limited campaign season — just 103 days — and position as the first woman of color at the top of a major U.S. political party ticket were key factors for Harris’s team to worry about. Could she hold her own on a playing field that, for centuries, had predominantly been turf for white, male politicians with over a year-long campaign strategies?
The polls certainly show she has. From the time she first took over as presidential candidate until mid-September, Harris has climbed percentage point by percentage point, fighting to close the gap between herself and Trump. Recent polls even show that Harris is ahead of Trump in multiple swing states, which are the ones to watch out for, as they will likely be the deciding factor in the election this year. Swing states, sometimes called purple or battleground states, are states that have shown to be very divided between the Republican and Democratic parties. As a result, both sides have spent much of their campaign focusing on how to win over voters from the states of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, Michigan and Nevada—these 7 states are regarded as the general swing states for this election season. However, it is important to note that the margin for error within each state’s poll is wide enough that it’s still basically a toss-up; no candidate has a significant enough lead over the other to be able to say that they have it in the bag.
With Harris coming in hot, Trump has had to consider redefining his strategy against the Democrats. He is also currently facing his own obstacles, including the conclusion and aftermath of a criminal trial that found him guilty on 34 charges of falsifying business records. Recently, the judge overseeing Trump’s case has made the decision to delay his sentencing until after the election in the interest of upholding the integrity of the justice system, seemingly wanting to “skirt a swirl of partisan second-guessing in the campaign’s final stretch,” as the New York Times reported.
Although Trump and Harris have been locked in a tight race in the polls, post-debate polls and numerous news reports indicate that Kamala Harris was widely seen as the clear winner of the debate. She utilized much of the night to force Trump onto the defensive and pick apart his platform and used calm, confident body language.
Trump certainly did not give his supporters and team cause to celebrate on Tuesday. He repeated multiple inaccuracies, circled back to claims that the election was the result of fraud and maintained that the country was on the decline, “paint[ing] a dire picture of the United States” (CNN, 9/11/24).
That’s not to say that Harris had a flawless night. Although she was relentlessly committed to the attacking style, she deflected key questions so as to pivot to baiting Trump, which left many people who had tuned into the debate to hear about her policies and stances disappointed. Although it was an overall success for her, it may not have been enough to persuade undecided voters, who are critical to winning the election. What may be notable, at least for a certain group of pop music fans, is the fact that that very night, Taylor Swift openly endorsed Harris in a post that is arguably the most political statement she’s ever put out there. In her Instagram post, Swift encouraged first-time voters to proactively register and vote, stressed the importance of doing research and staying up-to-date during the election season, and expressed her confidence in Harris, saying, “I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.”
Again, there are many events that can be viewed as victories and defeats for both parties, but the truth is that this election is still running its course and will most likely continue to do so in dramatic ways up until the final days before Election Day. In recent years, the divide in America has become more and more extreme, and there’s no way of knowing exactly what is in store. For now, keep paying attention to upcoming events and important dates such as the vice presidential debate (October 1) and the voter registration deadline (October 15 in New Jersey). If you are a U.S. citizen of legal voting age, remember that it is a power to be able to express yourself and assert your beliefs by casting a vote.
Sources:
https://www.nj.gov/state/elections/vote.shtml
https://www.npr.org/2024/09/11/g-s1-21932/fact-check-trump-harris-presidential-debate-2024
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-charges-conviction-guilty-verdict/
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/us/elections/polls-president.html
https://www.usa.gov/presidential-election-process
https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/10/politics/debate-takeaways-trump-harris/index.html
