The Associated Press-The Ground Game

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By Meg Kinnard November 05, 2024

A presidential campaign marked by upheaval and rancor approaches its finale Tuesday as Americans decide whether to send Donald Trump back to the White House or elevate Kamala Harris to the Oval Office.    Welcome to AP's Ground Game. This week, we'll bring you additional special editions around Election Day.  THE HEADLINES Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally in Memorial Hall at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa., Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)  America arrives at Election Day and a stark choice between Trump and Harris  Voters face a stark choice between two candidates who have offered drastically different temperaments and visions for the world’s largest economy and dominant military power.     Harris, the Democratic vice president, stands to be the first female president if elected. She has promised to work across the aisle to tackle economic worries and other issues without radically departing from the course set by President Joe Biden.     Trump, the Republican former president, has vowed to replace thousands of federal workers with loyalists, impose sweeping tariffs on allies and foes alike, and stage the largest deportation operation in U.S. history.    Harris and Trump are entering Election Day focused on seven battleground states, five of them carried by Trump in 2016 before flipping to Biden in 2020: the “blue wall” of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin as well as Arizona and Georgia. Nevada and North Carolina, which Democrats and Republicans respectively carried in the last two elections, also were closely contested. Read more.

Of note: The closeness of the race and the number of states in play raised the likelihood that once again a victor might not be known on election night. Last time, it took four days to declare a winner.

Related reads ➤  Where have candidates been campaigning? Check out AP’s interactive tracker  How many Americans have already voted in the 2024 general election?  ADVERTISEMENT Control of Congress – and a new president’s agenda – at stake  Control of Congress is at stake Tuesday, with tight races for the House and Senate that will determine which party holds the majority and the power to boost or block a president’s agenda, or if the White House confronts a divided Capitol Hill.    The key contests are playing out alongside the first presidential election since the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, but also in unexpected corners of the country after what has been one of the most chaotic congressional sessions in modern times.    In the end, just a handful of seats, or as little as one, could tip the balance in either chamber. In the Senate, where Democrats now have a slim 51-49 majority, an early boost for Republicans is expected in West Virginia. Independent Sen. Joe Manchin’s retirement creates an opening that Republican Jim Justice, now the state’s governor, is favored to win.     Top House races are focused in New York and California, where Democrats are trying to claw back some of the 10 or so seats in which Republicans have made surprising gains in recent years with star lawmakers who helped deliver the party to power. Read more.

Of note: Capitol Hill can make or break a new White House's priorities, giving Trump or Harris potential allies or adversaries in the House and Senate, or a divided Congress that could force a season of compromise or stalemate. Billions of dollars have been spent by the parties, and outside groups, on the narrow battleground for both the 435-member House and 100-member Senate.

Related reads ➤  Some Republican-led states refuse to let Justice Department monitors into polling places  About 24 states say they’ll send National Guard troops to DC for vote certification and inauguration  The final day of voting in the US is here  Election Day 2024 has arrived – with tens of millions of Americans having already cast their ballots. Those include record numbers in Georgia, North Carolina and other battleground states that could decide the winner.    The early turnout in Georgia, which has flipped between the Republican and Democratic nominees in the previous two presidential elections, has been so robust — over 4 million voters — that a top official in the secretary of state's office said the big day could look like a “ghost town” at the polls.    As of Monday, Associated Press tracking of advance voting nationwide showed over 80 million ballots cast — slightly more than half the total number of votes in the presidential election four years earlier. That's driven partly by Republican voters, who were casting early ballots at a higher rate than in recent previous elections after a campaign by Trump and the Republican National Committee to counter the Democrats' longstanding advantage in the early vote. Read more.

Of note: By the time early voting in North Carolina had ended on Saturday, over 4.4 million voters — or nearly 57% of all registered voters in the state — had cast their ballots. As of Monday, turnout in the 25 western counties affected by Hurricane Helene was even stronger at 59% of registered voters, according to state election board Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell, who called the voters and election workers in the hurricane-hit counties "an inspiration to us all.”

Related reads ➤  When polls close in battleground states on Election Day  Under lock and key: How ballots get from Pennsylvania precincts to election offices  ADVERTISEMENT TRAIL PHOTO Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump dances during a campaign rally at Santander Arena, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, in Reading, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)  ON THE CALENDAR Harris plans to spend Tuesday at her official Washington residence and do battleground state radio interviews before an election night watch party at her alma mater, Howard University.  Trump plans to vote in his adopted home state of Florida and spend Tuesday at his Mar-a-Lago estate before an election night watch party in West Palm Beach, Florida.  CANDIDATE CHECK Harris and Trump made their final pitches to voters Monday in the same part of Pennsylvania at roughly the same time, spending the last full day of the presidential campaign in a state that could make or break their chances. Read more.  Trump is stepping up his demands that the winner of the presidential race be declared shortly after polls close Tuesday, well before all the votes are counted. Read more.  2024 COUNTDOWN OUTSIDE OF WASHINGTON Colorado conundrum: Former Denver elections worker’s lawsuit says she was fired for speaking out about threats  Ohio oops: Sheriff’s lieutenant apologizes for ‘won’t help Democrats’ post, blames sleep medication  ADVERTISEMENT

That’s all from me for the day, thanks for reading Ground Game. Please let us know what you think of this newsletter. You can sign up for more and invite a friend here. - Meg

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