US election latest: Trump and Harris holding rallies in key states as election looms; shock poll puts Harris ahead in Iowa | US News

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A handful of states will play a crucial role in determining the outcome of the 2024 US election.

These battlegrounds are known as swing states, which is any state that could reasonably be won by either the Democratic or Republican presidential candidate.

Experts believe that seven of these - Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin - are the states that hold the keys to the White House.

Sky News has correspondents across some key battleground states. Scroll down to read their thoughts as the US heads to the polls.

Dearborn, Michigan - Yousra Elbagir

The Great Lakes state has picked the winning presidential candidate in the last two elections, but despite backing Joe Biden in 2020, recent developments in the Middle East have seen the Democrats lose support there.

That's because Michigan has the largest proportion of Arab-Americans in the US - a demographic unhappy with American support for Israel in that country's war in Gaza.

"You can really feel the disengagement here. It's very intentional," says Yousra.

"Everywhere we've been in Michigan, we've seen signs for either Harris or Trump, but here there's just a sense that people aren't engaged, that they don't feel represented.

"We have spoken to Arab-Americans at a Trump rally who feel like supporting Trump is their best way, their best path to see peace in the Middle East.

"But we've also spoken to advocacy specialists who said that the Arab-Muslim communities they've spoken to feel very much like they can't vote for either candidate."

"This is definitely the blind spot in the Harris-Waltz campaign," adds Yousa. "And whether or not they can win over the masses of Arabs and Muslims here in Michigan could help her in the future."

Atlanta, Georgia - Cordelia Lynch

Joe Biden was able to turn the previously ruby red state of Georgia blue back in 2020, in part thanks to the suburban vote.

The population explosion in the state has brought a more diverse electorate, and those are the voters Kamala Harris will be desperate to hang on to.

"It's all about playing for the margins, really," says Cordelia. "It's an incredibly tight race in this state of Georgia. I spent a lot of time on the road here and the female vote, I think, will be absolutely critical.

"We've seen with Kamala Harris that abortion is top of the policy agenda and her campaigning message as well.

"The calculation, the hope, the aspiration here for the Democrats is that we'll see this really large turnout amongst women, amongst young women.

"She also needs not just African American voters who historically support the Democrats in this state, but also white working class female voters, not something the Democrats performed well with in 2016 or 2020. So that is the challenge."

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - Dominic Waghorn

Considered by some to be the biggest prize on the battleground map, Pennsylvania has been visited by both Mr Trump and Ms Harris incessantly in recent months.

The state has 19 Electoral College votes - more than from any other swing state.

"Unless there's a big upset, if you win Pennsylvania, you win the White House," explains Dominic.

"And it is very, very close. It's 48-48 in the latest polls because Donald Trump has completely erased Kamala Harris's narrow lead that she had for most of this election.

"If you look at a map of Pennsylvania, it's a sea of red with pockets of blue. The Democrats are dominant around Philadelphia, a couple of pockets in the middle of the state and then here on their own, out on a limb in Pittsburgh.

"And this has been a Democrat stronghold for decades. It's been a working class, blue collar stronghold for them in the industrial heartland in Pennsylvania (...) but the Trump campaign sees opportunities here, and they have been making inroads into that Democrat stronghold."

Phoenix, Arizona - Shingi Mararike

Every swing state has its own contours and characteristics, and one of Arizona's is that it is the only battleground state that shares a border with Mexico.

As a result, immigration is a live issue in the Copper State, where around one in four voters are Latin American.

"It's a nuanced set of circumstances because some people here are second generation Mexicans," says Shingi.

"They were born here. Therefore, they have citizenship. So they've taken on more right wing positions on immigration, understanding the more bombastic rhetoric that Donald Trump has mentioned, talking about bringing in the National Guard and putting people in camps.

"They say that they want to see the border regulated better, and they say that the Democratic Party have failed them. Kamala Harris and Joe Biden have failed them in that sense."

Kinston, North Carolina - James Matthews

Analysts think North Carolina will be one of the tightest races on Tuesday, which might be why Donald Trump has had four engagements in the state this weekend.

"This is a state that they would have counted on just a few weeks ago," says James.

"But in this Republican campaign, which is driven in terms of logistics and location by the data, they have brought him back here, clearly in an effort to shore up the vote.

"In the words of one Trump adviser, 'if there's one state that could bite us, it's North Carolina'.

" They are nervous about it. And for Donald Trump to lose North Carolina, that would significantly narrow his pathway to victory."

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