WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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AUTHOR: M.J.
About 240 million people have the right to vote in this year's American elections, but only a relatively small number of them will probably decide who will become the next president, writes Klix.
Experts believe that there are only a few federal states that Kamala Harris or Donald Trump could probably win, for the Democrats and Republicans, respectively. Seven of them – Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – could hold the key to the White House.
Now, in the final months of the election, both campaigns are in full swing to win over undecided voters in these states.
Arizona
In 2020, the Democrats won the presidency with the support of the Grand Canyon State, which narrowly supported the party's candidate for the first time since the 1990s.
The state borders Mexico for hundreds of miles and has become a focal point of the national immigration debate.
The number of border crossings has fallen from record levels in recent months, which is why this issue has become at the top of voters' concerns.
Trump has attacked Harris' track record on immigration, as President Joe Biden has given her a role in trying to ease the border crisis.
He also vowed to carry out the "largest deportation operation" in US history if re-elected.
Arizona
Arizona has also been host to a bitter row over abortion access, after state Republicans tried to roll back a 160-year-old near-total ban on abortion, but were thwarted.
The issue has become explosive across the country since 2022, when the US Supreme Court overturned a landmark ruling that gave women the constitutional right to an abortion.
Georgia
The current list of swing states closely matches the list of places where Trump-backed Republican officials have tried to thwart a Biden victory in the 2020 election.
In Fulton County, Georgia, alleged election meddling led to one of four criminal prosecutions against Trump.
He and 18 others were charged with conspiring to overturn their narrow defeat to Biden in the state. Trump denies any wrongdoing, and it appears increasingly unlikely that the case will be heard in court before the election.
A third of Georgia's population is African-American, one of the highest proportions of blacks in the country, and that demographic is believed to have been key to Biden flipping the state in 2020.
There has been some disillusionment with Biden among black American voters, but Harris' campaign hopes to animate this electorate.
Michigan
The Great Lakes State has elected a winning presidential candidate in the last two elections. Despite her support for Biden in 2020, she has become emblematic of the nationwide backlash over the president's support for Israel during that country's war in Gaza.
During the Michigan Democratic primary in February, more than 100,000 voters chose the "no commitment" option on their ballots, part of a campaign launched by activists who want the US government to end its military aid to Israel.
Namely, Michigan has the largest share of Arab-Americans in the country – a demographic group whose support for Biden was at risk. But Harris took a harsher tone toward Israel.
Trump emphasized the importance of the state in his potential path to victory. Commenting on the events in the Middle East, he called on Israel to end its campaign against Hamas in Gaza, but "finish it quickly".
Nevada
The Silver State has voted Democratic in the last few elections, but there are signs of a possible Republican flip.
Recent averages released by poll-tracking firm 538 show that polls once showed Trump enjoying a wide lead over Biden, but that lead has shrunk since Harris entered the race.
Democrats hoped a candidate who would appeal more to younger and more diverse voters would narrow the gap.
Both candidates are fighting to win over the state's sizable Latino population.
Despite the fact that the US economy has shown strong growth and job creation since Biden assumed the presidency, the post-Covid recovery has been slower in Nevada than elsewhere.
At 5.1 percent, the state has the highest unemployment rate in the country, behind California and the District of Columbia, according to the latest US government statistics.
If Trump comes back to power, he has promised to return to the plan of lower taxes in all segments and fewer regulations.
North Carolina
Polls in the Tar Heel State appear to have tightened after Harris took her seat at the top of the Democratic ticket, and some analysts are now marking the state as a potential winner-take-all.
That may have reflected Trump's decision to go there for his first outdoor rally since the assassination attempt in July.
"This country is a very, very big country that needs to be conquered," he told the crowd.
For their part, the Democrats decided to give a platform to the governor of the state, Roy Cooper, on the last night of their party convention.
North Carolina borders Georgia and shares some of its top electoral concerns, as well as those of Arizona, another Sun Belt state.
Trump won North Carolina in 2020, but did so by just over 70,000 votes, further fueling Democratic hopes that the "purple" state (which could vote red or blue) could be won this election year .
Pennsylvania
Both parties also campaigned hard in the Keystone State, where Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt. The state proved pivotal in the 2020 election, backing Biden. He has a deep emotional connection to the working-class town of Scranton, where he grew up.
Economics is the main topic here, as it is in many other places. Inflation spiked across the country under the Biden administration, before gradually easing.
Pennsylvanians are not unique among Americans feeling cost-of-living pressures as a result of inflation. But grocery prices have risen faster in their state than in any other, according to market data provider Datasembly.
The BBC previously reported how people were struggling to cope in Erie - a county that is leading the rest of Pennsylvania, where as many as one in eight people are considered "food insecure".
High inflation could hurt Harris across the US as polls show he gives voters an unfavorable view of the economy. Trump tried to attack by linking it to Biden's economy.
Wisconsin
Republicans have chosen Milwaukee to host their 2024 convention. The Badger State also elected the winning presidential candidate in both 2016 and 2020, by just over 20,000 votes each time.
Experts have suggested that in marginal states like this one, third-party candidates campaigning against the policies of the two major candidates could make an impact.
Trump described the state as "really important ... if we win Wisconsin, we win the whole thing."
The summer Republican National Convention was held in Milwaukee.
Harris held a rally in the same city where her party's convention officially nominated her as the Democratic presidential candidate, speaking live.
