Campaigns Gear Up for the Home Stretch

With both party conventions in the past and just 70 days until the election, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are kicking their campaigns into high gear. Ten weeks out from Election Day, Harris currently leads Trump by 1.5 points in the RCP Average.

Trump will attempt to gain ground this week as he heads to Michigan and Wisconsin, two of the “Blue Wall’”swing states. Harris leads Trump by 2 points in Michigan and 1 point in Wisconsin, according to RCP Averages. Trump is placing a particular focus on battleground states as he hits the road after a few weeks of minimal campaign stops.

Last week, Trump was campaigning in the swing state of Arizona, where he leads by 0.2 points. He was joined on stage by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. who was running as an independent candidate with 5% support until he dropped out and endorsed Trump for president.

 “All who supported Bobby’s campaign, I ask that you join us in building this coalition,” Trump addressed fans of Kennedy. The race will likely be a matter of just thousands of votes across seven swing states, so both Trump and Harris will be vying for independent-minded Americans.

Harris is making a swing state stop this week in Georgia, where she and running mate Tim Walz will try to capture the support of working class and non-white voters as they trail Trump by 1 point in the Peach State according to the RCP Average. Harris has been under fire for shielding herself from the press throughout her five-week campaign, but she and Walz are expected to record a joint interview later this week. 

Both Harris and Trump will try to get on voters’ televisions and news feeds as much as possible in the next days and weeks as they are on a shortened timeline in states where early voting is just around the corner. Six states – Minnesota, South Dakota, Illinois, Virginia, Vermont, and the crucial battleground of Pennsylvania – open early voting in September. 

In Pennsylvania, where Trump leads Harris by 0.2 points, voters can cast their ballots as soon as Sep. 16, less than a week after Trump and Harris are set to debate. In recent days, however, Trump has cast doubt on whether he will participate in the debate, scheduled for Sep. 10 and hosted by ABC News. 

Trump took aim at the news network, calling it “FAKE NEWS” and complaining about its “Panel of Trump Haters,” on his Truth Social account. The former president claims he would agree to a debate on “Fox, NBC, CBS, and even CNN.”

“When I looked at the hostility of [ABC], I said, ‘Why am I doing it? Let’s do it with another network.’ I want to do it,” Trump said to a reporter when asked about the debate.

One date that is not up for debate is the showdown between Tim Walz and Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance. The vice-presidential debate is schedule for Oct. 1 in New York City and will be hosted by CBS.

After a shaky start, Vance has found his groove campaigning for the Trump ticket. He plans to hit all the major battleground states in the next few weeks, with a particular focus on Pennsylvania. In a memo released Saturday, Trump pollsters wrote what both the Trump and Harris campaigns are undoubtedly thinking as the countdown to November ticks louder:

“While the media is going to focus on the national polls, we need to keep our eye on the ball – that is the polling in our target states,” said the memo. “Our goal is to get to 270 and winning these states is how we do it.”