WASHINGTON: Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump are campaigning in critical battleground states on Sunday seeking 11th-hour advantages in a deadlocked White House race, as new polling shows Harris underperforming among some traditional Democratic voter demographics.
Polls indicate a fiercely contested race ahead of the November 5 US presidential election.
Harris, representing the Democratic ticket, visited North Carolina, which was recently devastated by a hurricane that left over 235 dead across the Southeast. She aimed to counter Trump’s accusations that the federal response to the disaster has been inadequate.
The Biden administration has come under fire from Republicans for its handling of disaster relief efforts, which Trump and his allies have labeled as insufficient.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden toured storm-ravaged areas in Florida, assessing damage from Hurricane Milton, which hit the state hard just days ago. Biden reassured Floridians that the federal government’s response was robust and ongoing.
“In moments like this, we come together as Americans, not as Democrats or Republicans,” he said while surveying the damage in Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg.
Meanwhile, Trump and his running mate, Senator J.D. Vance, campaigned in Arizona and Nevada. Trump reinforced his strict border policies during a rally in Arizona and continued his rhetoric on immigration, a key issue in his campaign. He also met with Latino leaders in Nevada, a crucial swing state with a growing Hispanic population.
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However, recent polls have shown a shift in Latino support away from Harris and toward Trump. According to a New York Times/Siena College poll, Harris holds a 19-point lead over Trump among Latino voters, significantly lower than Biden’s 26-point margin in 2020 and Hillary Clinton’s 39-point margin in 2016.
The erosion of Democratic support among Latinos has been a significant concern for the Harris campaign, especially as Trump continues to push his hardline stance on immigration.
Harris is also grappling with lower enthusiasm among Black male voters, a key Democratic demographic. Trump’s provocative statements, including a July comment suggesting Harris “happened to turn Black” in recent years, have fueled concerns about voter turnout in this group.
Democratic Congressman James Clyburn expressed his worries on CNN, stating, “Yes, I am concerned about Black men staying home or voting for Trump.”
Harris headed to Greenville, North Carolina, on Sunday, a city with deep ties to the civil rights movement. She visited the site of the historic 1960 sit-in by African-American students at a segregated lunch counter, likely aiming to energize Black voters in the final weeks of the campaign.
With just 23 days remaining, polls show the race in a deadlock. An NBC News poll released Sunday indicated a 48-48 percent tie between Harris and Trump nationwide. The same tight margins were reflected in the seven swing states expected to determine the election’s outcome.
Both candidates will be campaigning in Pennsylvania, the largest swing state, on Monday. In a sign of the importance of the state, Democratic heavyweight and former president Bill Clinton campaigned in Georgia, delivering remarks at a historically Black church as part of the broader effort to secure key demographics in the lead-up to election day.
