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US elections 2024: Harris leads national polls ahead of key debate, but Trump narrows gap in swing states – Times of India
Polls show a close race
Polls had consistently shown Biden trailing Trump before he exited the race.At that time, Kamala Harris was also not polling strongly, but after hitting the campaign trail, she managed to narrow the gap. According to recent national polling averages, Harris led with 47%, while Trump sat at 44%, reported BBC. Harris’s campaign received a slight bump during the Democratic convention in Chicago, where she spoke of “a new way forward.” However, Trump’s endorsement by Robert F. Kennedy in late August did not seem to alter the race, as his numbers remained relatively steady.
Swing state showdown
While these national figures offered insights, they did not paint the full picture due to the US Electoral College system. The real battle was fought in a handful of swing states—Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and others—that could tip the scales in either direction. In these key battlegrounds, the margin between the candidates was razor-thin, often less than one percentage point. Pennsylvania, with its significant electoral vote count, was expected to play a crucial role in determining the winner.
High-stakes debate ahead
The looming presidential debate is expected to be a game-changer. A New York Times/Siena poll suggested that Trump held a narrow one-point lead nationally, signaling that the race remained highly competitive. What was even more telling was that while 90% of voters said they knew all they needed to about Trump, only 71% said the same about Harris. This discrepancy meant that Harris had much more to prove during the debate, where a large audience was tuning in to decide between the two candidates.
“We were up against a guy who was a convicted felon, a terrible president, and continued to be a terrible human,” a Democratic strategist said. “Yet, this race was still tight as a tick.”
Tight polls, strong fundraising for Harris
Despite the neck-and-neck race, some Democrats believed the tight polls could actually benefit Harris. “I was glad this poll came out. It was a gift to Democrats,” said Anthony Coley, a former Biden administration official, who saw the close numbers as a motivating factor.
Momentum shifts and challenges
Polling expert Nate Silver also noted that the momentum had shifted slightly in Trump’s favor, warning that Harris could face further challenges as Republicans continued to paint her as too progressive. A Times poll reflected this narrative, with 44% of respondents agreeing that Harris was too progressive compared to 32% for Trump being too conservative.
Still, Harris’s camp remained optimistic, with strategists pointing to her strong fundraising numbers. In August, her campaign raised a staggering $361 million—nearly triple what Trump’s campaign brought in. Democratic strategist Christy Setzer downplayed concerns over Trump’s recent lead in the polls, saying, “Anyone worried that a single poll, showing Trump up by a single point, needed more drama in their life.”
Harris’s base continued to rally behind her, with packed campaign events across swing states. “The paths that Kamala Harris had to 270 [electoral votes] had expanded from when she stepped into the race,” noted Democratic strategist Joel Payne.
As the campaign intensified, all eyes were on the upcoming debate, where Harris had the chance to elevate her candidacy and shift the narrative in her favor.
The museums, designed by conservative nonprofits and Trump appointees, tell the story of early America, from colonization to revolution. The one exhibition looking beyond the early years is the “Wall of American Heroes.” It is a list of 51 people, chosen to illustrate 250 years of American history.
A White House spokesman said they were “individuals who shaped this nation’s history, culture and spirit across generations.”
The people pictured on this national honor roll — and the people left out — help illustrate what this administration sees as the highlights of American history.
Amid the administration’s efforts to reshape the nation’s relationship with its past, Trump appointees heavily weighted the list toward a single era of American history — and a few specific kinds of hero.
The other exhibitions in the Freedom Trucks were crafted by a pair of conservative nonprofits, PragerU and Hillsdale College. But the “Wall of American Heroes” was created by Freedom 250, a nonprofit effort whose leaders were chosen by President Trump and that was created to lead the planning of celebrations of the nation’s 250th birthday, overshadowing a bipartisan congressional commission.
A spokeswoman for Freedom 250 said Mr. Trump was not directly involved in the selection of those featured.
But the list clearly tracks Mr. Trump’s own lifetime and the heroes of the conservative political movement.
The wall’s tilt toward heroes of the baby boomer generation, for instance, extends beyond Hollywood stars and musicians. Of the four religious leaders on the list, two — Archbishop Fulton Sheen and the Rev. Billy Graham — also appeared on TV regularly in the 1950s and 1960s. The only painter on the list is Norman Rockwell, known for his idealized depictions of American life in that period.
By contrast, there is only a handful of figures from the first decades of American independence.
“That’s a disservice, if your intention is to present the last 250 years,” said Sarah Weicksel, the executive director of the American Historical Association. “Because all of the people on this list are building on the work and struggles and progress that was made by the people in the 150 years prior.”
The “Wall of American Heroes” was inspired by a similar display in a traveling museum created by the State of Virginia. But Virginia’s display celebrates little-known historical figures.
Mr. Trump’s, by and large, celebrates people who are already well-known — and, often, people who were famous in their own time. For example, it praises P.T. Barnum, a circus impresario who used hoaxes and freak shows to draw crowds. The wall calls him an “icon of American sensationalism.”
The spokeswoman for Freedom 250 said that many of the names on the wall were drawn from a list of 250 people that Mr. Trump wants to include in a “Garden of American Heroes” in Washington.
The spokeswoman declined to say what criteria were used to narrow down the list.
The only president whose name appears on the wall — not on the list of heroes, but alongside his quotation — is Mr. Trump himself.
Explore the Wall of Heroes
Navigate the display by dragging from side to side.
Washington — Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. of New Jersey will return to Congress on June 30, his spokesperson said, after being away since March in an unexplained absence that has confounded Capitol Hill.
“Congressman Kean is eager to return to in person work on June 30 and resume a full schedule,” Kean’s spokesperson, Harrison Neely, told CBS News on Thursday. The New Jersey Globe first reported on his return date.
Kean’s whereabouts since he last voted on March 5 have not been disclosed. When he first made a statement about the absence in late April, the New Jersey Republican said he was addressing a “personal medical issue.”
Kean said earlier this month that he would return to Washington within a matter of weeks, at which point he would provide more details about his health.
“Right now I am focused on my recovery and under the advice of healthcare professionals, I will transition from virtual work to in person work within a matter of weeks. At that time I will be completely transparent as to the nature of my medical condition,” Kean said in a June 2 statement released by his campaign.
The statement came hours before polls closed in New Jersey’s GOP primary for his seat, in which he ran unopposed.
He has missed more than 130 votes during his absence.
House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters earlier this month that he had recently spoken with Kean. Johnson said he was aware of the health issue, but would not disclose the details.
“What he’s dealing with is not very common and not a big thing,” Johnson said.
new video loaded: Obama Presidential Center Opens in Chicago
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