Washington:

The U.S. presidential election is going down to the wire, with polls showing a deadlocked race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. The swing states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, and North Carolina will play a crucial role in determining the outcome.
Trump’s favorability rating is stuck at 43 per cent, and he has never topped 50 per cent since leaving office. This means he has hit a ceiling in his support and may struggle to win the national popular vote.

There are 4 important issues when it comes to the deciding factor. The economy, immigration and border control, abortion issues and safeguarding democracy.

The country is in a bad mood, with 60-70 per cent of Americans believing the country is on the wrong track which means the election will change. Historically, when Americans feel the country is on the wrong track, the incumbent president tends to lose favor, giving their challenger a significant advantage in the election and Harris is facing this blow.

Trump is seen as the better candidate to manage the economy, leading by a 15-point margin in swing states, since during the Biden administration, the cost has risen between 10-40 per cent.

Trump has made immigration a central issue, and voters view him as the best candidate to manage the border. The first three years of Biden’s term saw immigration troubles, however the rates have fallen now.

Harris is seen as the champion of reproductive rights, and polling shows her leading Trump among women voters in swing states by 15 points or more. Abortion rights are decided at the state level and it is on the ballot in two key swing states – Nevada and Arizona which is a positive aspect for Harris.

Half the country sees Trump as a threat to American democracy, an authoritarian, while Harris has pledged to unite the country and even get the Republicans and Democrats working.

If Harris wins, it will be because she has successfully sealed the deal with voters and made the election a referendum on Trump. Her ground game, which includes a USD 1 billion machine to reach voters in swing states, will be crucial.

If Trump wins, it will mean voters trusted him to manage inflation, immigration, and crime. Unease about Harris, a Black and South Asian woman, as president may also play a role.

The outcome is far from certain, and the next 24 hours will be intense. Will Harris’ ground game deliver, or will Trump’s economic message resonate with voters? The country holds its breath as it waits for the results.

Washington:

Donald Trump is taking a bold move in the final days of his presidential campaign by visiting New Mexico and Virginia, two states that have historically been difficult for Republican candidates to win.

The former president campaigned in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Thursday and was scheduled to visit Salem, Virginia, on Saturday, in an effort to gain momentum and potentially turn these states red.

Trump’s team is optimistic about his chances, citing early voting numbers and the possibility of sweeping swing states Nevada and Arizona. However, this strategy carries significant risk, as neither New Mexico nor Virginia has been carried by a GOP nominee since George W. Bush in 2004.

The battleground states have received significant attention since the past few weeks, with billboards, smartphones, televisions bombarding them with political ads. The candidates – presidential and vice-presidential candidates have made 21 appearances in Pennsylvania, 17 in Michigan and 13 in North Carolina since the past two weeks.

Trump’s visit to Albuquerque brings attention to his immigration stance in a border state with the nation’s highest concentration of Latino voters. About 44% of New Mexico’s voting-age population identifies as Hispanic, and the state has been dealing with a surge in migrant deaths along the U.S.-Mexico border.

“If we could bring God down from heaven, he could be the vote counter and we could win this,” Trump said. He also added that he’s visiting New Mexico because it’s “good for my credentials” with Latino voters.

Virginia was once considered a battleground state but has trended toward Democrats in recent years. Trump lost the state to Clinton in 2016 and Biden in 2020. Despite this, Trump believes he has a “real chance” of winning, and his visit may focus on the recent Supreme Court ruling on voter registrations.

Democratic strategist Bob Shrum questions Trump’s strategy, stating, “I don’t think there’s any strategy… I think he insisted on doing it. It makes no sense”. Meanwhile, Virginia’s Governor Glenn Youngkin believes the state is more competitive than expected.

Susan Swecker, Chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Virginia, holds the opinion that this visit will only make it harder for Trump to gain votes. “Kamala Harris will win Virginia convincingly, as he knows, and any visit from this deranged lunatic will only widen the margin,” she said.

Las Vegas:

Jennifer Lopez joined forces with Kamala Harris in Nevada and delivered a passionate speech. “It wasn’t just Puerto Ricans that were offended,” Lopez said. “(It was) humanity and anyone of decent character.

“I am Puerto Rican, and yes, I was born here, and we are Americans,” she announced.

The singer’s powerful words came after Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden, where comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made derogatory remarks about Puerto Rico, calling it a “floating island of garbage”. Her speech highlighted her pride in Puerto Rican heritage and her belief in women’s power.

“there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now.”

“I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”

– Tony Hinchcliffe pic.twitter.com/KiuZPLLm2G

— HustleBitch (@HustleBitch_) October 28, 2024

She said that at Madison Square Garden, Trump reminded them of who he really is.

Speaking on behalf of women, she also said, “Women have the power to make the difference in this election,” and that she believes in the power of women. This was a reference to Trump’s comment about him protecting women, “whether the women like it or not”. Lopez added that Trump failed to recognise the “freedom of women or the intelligence of women” in making decisions about their own life and bodies.

Jennifer Lopez gets emotional, “You know what? We should be emotional. We should be upset. We should be scared and outraged. We should. Our pain matters. We matter. You matter. Your voice and your vote matters.” pic.twitter.com/7a4MU1ZxLK

— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) November 1, 2024

However JLo is not the only Puerto Rican celebrity to back Harris. Stars like Bad Bunny, and Nicky Jam have spoken out against Trump, with Jam walking back his Trump endorsement.

As for what comedian Tony Hinchcliffe said about Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans, the Trump campaign has distanced itself from him saying, “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”

Harris’ campaign launched an ad in Spanish on Thursday, titled “Somos Más,” or “We Are More,” centering the message on Hinchcliffe’s joke. “Puerto Rico is an island of scientists, poets, educators, stars and heroes,” the narrator says in Spanish. “We’re not trash, we’re more” adding, “On Nov. 5, Trump will understand that some people’s trash is others’ treasure.”

Regardless, her emotional comments have faced quite a bit of backlash. A user on X commented, “Jennifer is just trying to get a pardon for her involvement in the P Diddy parties”, while another said, “Trump literally said nothing about Puerto Rico. I see a desperate campaign that knows it is losing. She’s way behind where Biden was in 2020.”

On November 5, Americans will cast their votes not only for the presidency but also for 34 Senate seats, all 435 House seats, 11 governorships and thousands of state legislative positions. Among the new contenders is Ashwin Ramaswami, a young Indian American Democrat challenging Republican Senator Shawn Still in Georgia’s Senate District 48, a traditionally conservative seat.

Who is Ashwin Ramaswami?

1. Ashwin Ramaswami was born to Indian immigrant parents from Tamil Nadu and grew up in Johns Creek. He is running for the Georgia State Senate in District 48, and just meets the minimum age requirement of 25, turning that age in May 2024.
2. Ashwin Ramaswami studied Computer Science at Stanford University and then pursued a law degree at Georgetown University, as per his election campaign website.
3. He has a strong background in cybersecurity, having worked with CISA, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, where he helped secure local election systems from cyberattacks, and Schmidt Futures, where he conducted research on securing open-source software, which contributed to a bill in Congress. He decided to quit his job at CISA after three years to run for office after realising that the greater threat to democracy lies not just in cyberattacks but in political misinformation surrounding election integrity, reported NBC News.
4. During his studies, he taught classes on Hindu philosophy and raised $100,000 for Dharmic programmes at Georgetown, supporting students of various faiths, including Hindu, Sikh, Jain and Buddhist.
5. Ashwin Ramaswami’s campaign promises election security and integrity, positioning him against Shawn Still’s alleged 2020 election-related activities. Shawn Still was one of the fake electors who participated in the Donald Trump fake electors plot, which aimed to award Georgia’s electoral votes to Donald Trump despite him losing the state to Joe Biden. Mr Ramaswami’s campaign has raised more than $700,000 in funding, which is considered a significant amount for a first-time candidate.