Donald Trump vs Kamala Harris: 2024 Race with Battleground States and Shifting Voter Sentiment

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are vying for the 2024 US presidential election, with consequences for the candidates and the country as a whole. So far, Trump leads Harris in key battleground states, but she’s gaining momentum in typically Democratic enclaves.

Election status

  • Donald Trump’s performance: Trump won in conservative states such as Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, South Carolina, Florida and Alabama. Preliminary predictions are that he will get about 227 electoral votes in 21 states. His strength is evident in rural areas, where he has already surpassed his 2020 numbers in key states like Georgia and North Carolina.
  • Kamala Harris performance: Harris won Vermont, Massachusetts and Maryland, and projections show she will receive about 165 electoral votes from 11 states, including major wins in New York and Illinois. But she lost in Pennsylvania, a state she once led but has now ceded to Trump.

rocking state dynamics

The election is particularly focused on swing states that could decide the outcome:

  • Trump leads in six of seven key battleground states, including Wisconsin, North Carolina, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Michigan.
  • Harris had a slight advantage in early exit polls, which showed her support among voters in those states at about 47%, compared with Trump’s 45%.

Voter sentiment

Issues top of mind for voters this election cycle include the economy, the state of democracy, abortion rights and immigration policy. Exit polls showed it was a close race, with voters divided on the two candidates. For example: