US presidency: Harris, Trump in final push for votes tomorrow

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump began a frantic last push across the United States swing states on Sunday, with less than 48 hours of campaigning left to secure a decisive edge in a bitterly fought and historically close presidential election.

“The fate of our nation is in your hands. On Tuesday, you have to stand up,” Trump said at his first rally of the day in Pennsylvania, where he doubled down on unfounded claims of election rigging.

AFP reports that over 76 million people have cast early ballots ahead of Tuesday’s climax and the battle is down to the wire – with more states functionally tied in polls at this point than in any comparable election.

The closeness of the race is all the more remarkable given its dramatic twists and the fact that the candidates could hardly be further apart in their campaign styles and visions for the future.

A final New York Times/Siena poll on Sunday flagged some incremental changes in the key battleground states, but the results from all seven remained firmly within the margin of error.

Harris – desperate to shore up the Great Lakes states seen as essential to any Democratic ticket – was to spend the day in Michigan, beginning in Detroit before a stop in Pontiac and an evening rally at Michigan State University.

Trump’s Sunday timetable centred on Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia, the three biggest prizes in the “Electoral College” system that awards states influence according to their population. Punch