Today's Edition
Scranton (AFP)
Bitter rivals Kamala Harris and Donald Trump embark on a final frenzied campaign blitz on Monday with both hitting must-win Pennsylvania on the last day of the tightest and most volatile US presidential election in memory.
Republican Trump has promised a "landslide" as he seeks a sensational return to the White House, while Democrat Harris said the "momentum" was on the side of her bid to be America's first woman president.
But the polls suggest a different story on the eve of Election Day -- total deadlock in surveys nationally and in the seven swing states where the result is expected to be decided.
Now a race of dramatic twists, including two bids to kill Trump and Harris's shock late entrance, is coming down to the most viciously fought-over battleground.
Harris will spend the whole day campaigning in the rust-belt state of Pennsylvania, culminating in a huge rally in its biggest city Philadelphia featuring singer Lady Gaga.
Trump will travel to North Carolina, Pennsylvania and then Michigan.
In a sign of how crucial Pennsylvania is to their chances of occupying the Oval Office, Trump and Harris will even hold dueling rallies in the industrial city of Pittsburgh.
Pennsylvania is the single biggest swing state prize under the US Electoral College system, which awards influence in line with population.
Both sides say they are encouraged by huge early turnout numbers, with over 78 million people having voted already, around half of the total number of ballots cast in 2020.
The incredible closeness of the 2024 White House race reflects a deeply divided United States, as it chooses between two candidates whose visions could scarcely be more different.
Former president Trump in his pursuit of a second term would make him, at 78, the oldest major party candidate ever elected.
Vice President Harris has meanwhile made an astonishing rise to the top of the Democratic ticket after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race in July.
They have both embarked on a frenetic zig-zag through the swing states, with raucous rallies and even an appearance by Harris on the famed television show "Saturday Night Live."
'We have momentum'
After a series of more encouraging recent polls, Harris told a raucous rally in Michigan on Sunday that "we have momentum -- it's on our side."
Harris also courted the large Arab-American community in Michigan, saying she would do "everything in my power to end the war in Gaza."
The final days of the campaign have meanwhile seen both candidates roll out high-profile surrogates.
Tech tycoon Elon Musk has been making $1 million giveaways to registered voters, while Harris has relied on the star power of former president Barack Obama and ex-first lady Michelle Obama and singer Beyonce.
Biden will spend most of the last day of the campaign at the White House, while Harris will start her day with an event in his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
