Trump and Harris Engage in Dueling Campaign Stops in Pennsylvania Ahead of Democratic National Convention
The United States is witnessing a crucial battleground state in Pennsylvania this weekend as Donald Trump and Kamala Harris hold dueling campaign stops. The Republican and Democratic nominees are set to visit the Keystone State ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where Harris is expected to formally accept the party nomination.
New polling suggests that Harris has gained significant momentum, with a survey by the New York Times and Siena College showing her surging back into contention in four critical battleground states, including Pennsylvania, Arizona, North Carolina, and Georgia. The Trump campaign has struggled to find an effective counter to Harris’s surge, with the vice president now ahead in three of these states.
Trump will hold a rally in the small town of Wilkes-Barre on Saturday, while Harris will take her tour bus on several stops around Pittsburgh on Sunday before heading to the convention in Chicago. The stakes are high for Trump to find fresh impetus at Saturday’s public rally, following a series of low-energy events held at his Florida resort home and a golf club he owns in New Jersey.
The Trump campaign has focused on issues like immigration and inflation, but Trump himself has spent large chunks of recent speeches launching personal attacks against Harris, which may not play well with undecided and independent voters. Harris, on the other hand, is trying to distance herself from unpopular Biden policies and get ahead of Trump’s attempts to brand her a liberal extremist.
In a series of speeches, Trump has questioned Harris’s intelligence, attacked her racial identity, and branded her a “communist.” Harris has countered by emphasizing her commitment to working- and middle-class Americans and proposing policies to ease the burden of post-Covid pandemic inflation.
The battle for the White House will be decided in the swing states, with Pennsylvania being a crucial battleground. Trump lost the state by a narrow margin against Biden in 2020, but has strong support in rural areas and small towns. A separate New York Times/Siena poll last week showed Harris narrowly ahead in Pennsylvania and the two other northern battleground states of Michigan and Wisconsin.
The vice president will be hoping to keep the poll momentum going as she heads into the Chicago convention, which will feature three days of speeches from party leaders, including Biden and former president Barack Obama. Harris will round out the event on Thursday evening, with her own speech to formally accept the party nomination.
The economy is a key issue in the campaign, with Trump hammering Harris on Thursday, saying she has a “very strong communist lean” that would bring the “death of the American dream.” Harris, however, has countered by noting that the US economy is booming while conceding that “many Americans don’t yet feel that progress in their daily lives.”
As the campaign enters its final stretch, the eyes of the world will be on Pennsylvania, where the outcome of the election could be decided. Will Trump be able to regain his momentum, or will Harris’s surge propel her to victory? Only time will tell.
