Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are back on the campaign trail, aiming to secure votes in key battleground states after a fiery presidential debate that drew 67 million viewers.
Harris, who delivered a strong performance against Trump, is hoping to capitalize on her momentum as the U.S. election draws near.
On Thursday, Harris, 59, is set to visit North Carolina, where she plans to hold rallies in Charlotte and Greensboro. She is pushing her campaign message of a “new way forward” as she seeks to engage Black and young voters.
Over the past month, Harris has managed to close the six-point gap that Trump had in North Carolina, putting the two candidates neck and neck in the state.
Meanwhile, Trump, 78, is focusing his efforts in Arizona, a state that was fiercely contested in the 2020 election. Trump is expected to address the “struggling economy” during a rally in Tucson, as he aims to regain ground in a state that President Joe Biden narrowly won by about 10,000 votes in the last election.
Both candidates are targeting swing states that will play a crucial role in determining the outcome of the election in November. Harris and Trump’s return to these states follows a brief pause in their campaigns when they attended the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in New York on Wednesday.
Despite Harris’s strong showing in the debate, it is still unclear whether it will significantly sway undecided voters in a race that remains extremely tight.
Harris’s attacks on Trump’s handling of the economy, crowd sizes, and his 2020 election loss struck a chord, but Trump still insisted it was one of his best debates.
However, some of Trump’s allies, including Senator Lindsey Graham, saw the debate as a “missed opportunity,” and reports suggest there is some discontent among Trump’s donors.
Both candidates are expected to continue campaigning in key states in the coming days. Harris will travel to Pennsylvania on Friday for events in Johnstown and Wilkes-Barre, and she will attend an awards dinner on Saturday with Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff.
Trump, on the other hand, will focus on cost-of-living issues during a speech in Las Vegas on Friday, and he is also scheduled to hold a press conference in Los Angeles.
