Final Campaigns of Trump and Harris Just Hours Before the U.S. Presidential Election

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, the Democratic and Republican rivals, spent the final hours leading up to the U.S. presidential election in battleground states; it has also been reported that the number of early votes in this election surpassed 81 million. Voting in the U.S. presidential election will continue until the evening of Tuesday, November 15, local time. On Monday, one day before the election, Ms. Harris continued her last campaign efforts in Pennsylvania, while Mr. Trump's final rallies were held in three states: North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. According to Reuters, both rivals predicted victory in their statements on Monday. Pennsylvania was the only state where both rivals were present on Monday; among the seven battleground states, Pennsylvania has the highest electoral votes with 19. Donald Trump spoke in this state, in Pittsburgh, before a large crowd of supporters, delivering what his campaign described as the final message of this Republican candidate to voters. He focused mainly on economic issues, calling Kamala Harris's candidacy a "cause of economic misery." Kamala Harris also promised in Allentown, Pennsylvania, while referencing Puerto Rican citizens, that she would be a president for "all Americans." According to the Associated Press, although Philadelphia was the last destination for Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania, her final speech took place in Allentown, where she stated: "Tomorrow is Election Day, and the movement is with us." Meanwhile, the Florida Election Center reported in its latest update released early Tuesday that the total number of early votes exceeded 81 million. This figure includes about 44 million in-person votes, with the rest being mail-in ballots. Early voting, whether in-person or by mail, has been ongoing for months inside and outside the United States. The 81 million early votes in this presidential election clearly surpass the early votes in previous elections but still fall short of the 101 million early votes recorded in the 2020 election (during COVID-19 restrictions). According to Reuters, this presidential election cycle has witnessed unexpected events, including two assassination attempts on Donald Trump, the criminal conviction of the former president, Joe Biden's withdrawal from the race, and Kamala Harris's unexpected rise to the top of the polls. Reuters also notes that up until one day before the election, polls showed that 78-year-old Donald Trump and 60-year-old Kamala Harris were in a tight and nearly equal race.