With just about a week left, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are campaigning in key battleground states as the race remains tight nationwide.
Here’s an overview of their standings and campaign activities.
What Are the Latest Updates from the Polls?
Trump and Harris are in a close contest across seven key battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
As of October 27, FiveThirtyEight’s daily election poll tracker shows Harris leading nationally by a narrow margin of 1.4 percentage points over Trump, down from 1.8 points last week.
A CBS News/YouGov poll released on Sunday also indicated that Harris is leading Trump nationally, with 50 percent compared to Trump’s 49 percent. However, these results are still subject to the survey’s margin of error.
In crucial states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Nevada—together holding 51 electoral votes—the candidates are nearly tied, with less than half a percentage point separating them. Winning all four states could effectively secure the presidency for either Trump or Harris.
What Is the Electoral College?
The Electoral College is a process in which electors, or representatives from each state based on its population, cast their votes to determine the president. Each state has a specific number of electors based on its Congressional representation, totaling 538 electors. After the general election, each elector casts one vote, and the candidate who receives more than half (270) wins.
The newly elected President and Vice President are inaugurated in January.
What’s Happening on the Campaign Trail?
On Monday, Harris is holding a rally alongside her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In Michigan, Harris and Trump are vying for the support of voters, including a significant Arab American and Muslim community that is deeply concerned about the escalating situation in Gaza. Meanwhile, Trump is holding a rally in Atlanta, Georgia, alongside his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio).
On Sunday, Harris spoke at Philadelphia’s Church of Christian Compassion, emphasizing the importance of the election: “Here, in Pennsylvania, right now, each of us has an opportunity to make a difference. The great thing about living in a democracy is we, the people, have the choice to answer that question. So let us answer not just with our words, but with our works.”
On the same day, Trump hosted a rally at Madison Square Garden, where relentless jabs at Democrats were a constant presence, along with a warm-up act by comedian Tony Hinchliffe, who controversially referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.”