US presidential election: Democratic candidate leads early ballots as Trump and Harris make final campaign stops
Three days prior to her matchup with Republican Donald Trump, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris gave the U.S. presidential election a shocking shock by making an appearance on Saturday night's "Saturday Night Live" TV comedy show.
Together with Maya Rudolph, who portrays her on the show, Harris uttered the words, "Remain calm-ala and keep going-ala."
Harris made his debut appearance on the program, which has hosted various presidential contenders throughout the years.
When Trump made an appearance during his initial presidential campaign in 2015, he made light of his propensity to exaggerate and avoid discussing particular policy issues.
Long before he entered politics, he also made an appearance in 2004.
The aide claimed he was unsure if he had received an invitation to make an appearance this year.
One of the few events that will decide the result of Tuesday's election was the duelling events that took place in Charlotte, North Carolina, earlier on Saturday, where Harris and Trump's planes shared the tarmac.
The candidates were campaigning in the same state for the fourth consecutive day.
A poll released on Saturday shown Harris maintaining a surprising lead in Iowa, a state that Trump won handily in the previous two elections, but only seven states are seen to be actually competitive.
During their appearances, Trump and Harris stuck to well-known themes.
If elected, Trump threatened to deport millions of immigrants, and if Harris prevails, "Every America's town would be transformed into a filthy, hazardous camp for refugees.
While campaigning in Atlanta, Harris claimed that if Trump were to return to the White House, he would misuse his position of authority.
"This individual is becoming more and more unstable, fixated on retaliation, consumed by grievances, and the man is seeking unbridled power," she stated.
In an indication of voter enthusiasm, the University of Florida's Election Lab reports that over 75 million Americans have already cast ballots.
Michael Bitzer, a political science professor at Catawba College, said that the western counties in North Carolina that were damaged by Hurricane Helene seemed to be voting about the same as the rest of the state.
Trump said during a subsequent event in Salem, Virginia, that he ran for office to rescue the economy from "obliteration" even though it would have been easier to relax at one of his oceanfront resorts.
"I didn't need to be here today," he said. "I could have been standing on that beach, my beautiful white skin getting nice and being smacked, being smacked in the face by a wave loaded up with salt water."
Trump was joined on stage by women from a local college swim team who have objected to competing against transgender athletes.
Some of Trump's TV ads have sought to capitalise on transgender controversies.
Meanwhile, Kamala Harris has surpassed Donald Trump in a new poll in Iowa, according to the Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll released on Saturday.
Women voters are likely responsible for the turnaround in a state that Trump easily won in 2016 and 2020.
The poll of 808 likely voters, who were surveyed Oct. 28-31, has Harris leading Trump 47%-44% in Iowa, which has been trending deeply Republican in recent years.
It is within the 3.4 percentage point margin of error, but it marked a turnaround from a September Iowa Poll that had Trump with a 4-point lead, the newspaper reported.
"The poll shows that women — particularly those who are older or who are politically independent — are driving the late shift toward Harris," the Register said.
Trump senior adviser Jason Miller said the Iowa poll was "idiotic" and an outlier that has no credibility.
(Reuters/NAN) change of heart in a state that Trump won handily in 2020 and 2016.
In Iowa, which has been leaning heavily Republican in recent years, Harris leads Trump 47%-44%, according to a poll of 808 likely voters conducted from October 28 to October 31.
According to the newspaper, it represents a change from a September Iowa Poll that had Trump leading by four points, although it is still within the 3.4 percentage point margin of error.
According to the Register, "the poll indicates that women—especially those who are older or politically independent—are driving the late shift toward Harris."
Jason Miller, a key aide to Trump, called the Iowa poll "idiotic" and an unreliable anomaly.
(NAN/Reuters)
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