North News
New Delhi, November 5
Voting on Election Day has officially begun in the United States, with polls indicating a neck-and-neck race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Never in recent U.S. political history has the outcome of a presidential election been so uncertain, highlighting that this is not a contest for the faint of heart, The BBC reported.
While previous elections have been closely contested—most notably George W. Bush’s 2000 victory over Al Gore, which hinged on just a few hundred votes in Florida—there has typically been some indication of which way the race was leaning in the final days. In 2016, for instance, polls misjudged Hillary Clinton’s support and failed to capture a late surge of momentum for Trump. This time, however, the situation is markedly different, with polling indicators presenting a mixed picture that leaves analysts hesitant to make definitive predictions, according to the BBC.
The polls and forecasts indicate a tightly contested race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. Both candidates made their last appeals to supporters in pivotal swing states, underscoring the historic significance of the election, the news outlet The News Week reported.
In a dramatic close to their campaigns, Harris delivered her final message in Philadelphia, while Trump rallied supporters in Michigan. The two candidates presented starkly different visions for the future of the country as they sought to mobilize voters during the critical final hours of the campaign.
Harris, 60, secured the Democratic nomination after President Joe Biden suspended his re-election bid. A former senator and California attorney general, she aims to become the first woman elected President in the nation’s 248-year history, the news outlet The Guardian reported.
Trump, 78, is making his third consecutive run for the White House and continues to propagate unfounded claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him. He holds the distinction of being the first US president to be impeached twice and has been convicted of a crime. Notably, Trump also survived two assassination attempts this summer, making him the oldest major party nominee in U.S. history, the news outlet further said.
As Election Day arrives, anticipation mixes with uncertainty. The conclusion of this highly charged campaign may not provide immediate clarity regarding the winner. The race, which began as a rematch between Trump and Biden, transformed dramatically after Biden’s exit and Harris’s rise to prominence, further complicated by the violent attempts on Trump’s life.
According to the news outlet The New York Times, both candidates focused heavily on Pennsylvania, which holds 19 electoral votes and is critical to the election outcome.
With both candidates pulling out all the stops, voters brace for what may be one of the closest presidential elections in modern history, with significant implications for the country’s future.
