Donald Trump fights back but Kamala Harris still holds slender lead in battle for Pennsylvania

Republican Donald Trump closed the gap, but Democrat Kamala Harris continued to lead in the crucial swing state of Pennsylvania. AP's early trends showed Harris starting with a 70% vote share which has now come down to 51.6%. One of the seven swing states and a pivotal region for the 2024 US elections, Pennsylvania could decide the outcome of the race to the White House. Both Democrat Kamala Harris and her rival, Republican Donald Trump, chose to give one final push in the last leg of their campaigns before voting.

This was another major move from both the candidates who have been in a close contest this elections, hoping to be the one to succeed Joe Biden.

At least 270 of the 538 votes of the electoral college are required for a candidate to win the election. Notably, a candidate can emerge victorious despite losing in the popular vote as the official winner is only announced after electoral votes are considered.

For a live map of the US election results, click here

Voting in Pennsylvania began at 7 am ET on Tuesday, November 5, (5.30 pm IST) and will close at 8 pm ET (6.30 am IST on Wednesday).

ALSO READ | Pennsylvania: Here's why 'nervous' Trump dropped ultra-right staffer in a shock move

Why Pennsylvania matters

Being the fifth-most populous state, Pennsylvania is the largest among the seven key swing states. It boasts of holding as many as 19 crucial electoral votes. Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are both making relentless efforts to secure this battleground, highlighting the significance it holds in the race to the White House.

2020 Election results: In the last presidential election, Joe Biden secured the swing state of Pennsylvania with 50.0% votes (51.3% nationally). Meanwhile his rival Donald Trump secured 48.8% votes (46.9% nationally).

Current controversy: A Donald Trump staffer was reportedly dropped last week from his job in Pennsylvania after he was found to be a White nationalist. A Politico report revealed that the 24-year-old male staffer had also made racist remarks online. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro also came under the light of scrutiny in the past months. He was one of the leading contenders to become Harris' running mate, CBS News reported. Questions were raised over Shapiro's handling of a 2011 case of a teacher's death and over 'mishandling' of a sexual harassment complaint against one of his aides.

ALSO READ | Pennsylvania to have deciding vote? Why the biggest swing state won't go easy on both Trump, Harris

Swing state poll: The final Sienna College/New York Times poll, released on Sunday, showed favour for former US President Donald Trump in the swing state of Pennsylvania, where vice president Kamala Harris led him by 4 points. The survey was notably conducted between October 7 and 10.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.