The presidential campaign is entering a crucial sprint to Election Day, as Harris and her Republican rival, Trump, are ramping up appearances, building their fundraising war chests and preparing to come face-to-face for the first time to debate next week.
In The Hill/Decision Desk HQ's latest forecast updated this week, Harris has a 56 percent chance of beating Trump in November, but forecasters note that neither candidate has a clear path to secure the 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House, with key swing states still up for grabs.
Polls have shown Harris continues to gain ground against Trump since entering the race after President Biden abruptly ended his reelection bid and endorsed Harris in July. But her edge remains within the margins of error for most surveys. Despite the public polling trends, Trump has claimed during recent events and interviews that he is leading in the polls.
The next week presents a make-or-break stretch as the campaigns fight for voters across crucial battleground states.
Trump will take part in a Fox News town hall in Pennsylvania Wednesday night, while Harris heads to Portsmouth, N.H., to campaign on reproductive rights.
On Thursday, Harris will head to Pittsburgh to campaign, while Trump takes part in an event in New York.
They have one week until they face off in their first debate, hosted by ABC News. Harris acknowledged in a recent CNN interview that she has never met Trump in person. The former president skipped the 2021 inauguration when Harris was sworn in as Biden’s VP.
Both campaigns are also building their fundraising coffers to ramp up their spending – particularly on ads hitting the airwaves post-Labor Day. According to a memo from Team Harris, the campaign has raised more than $540 million since it launched in July.
“Just before Vice President Harris’ acceptance speech ... we officially crossed the $500 million mark," campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon wrote in the memo released late last month. "Immediately after her speech, we saw our best fundraising hour since launch day.”
The Harris campaign announced Tuesday it is sending nearly $25 million to Democratic committees for down-ballot races, sharing the wealth to try to secure more seats in Congress.
Meanwhile, Trump running mate Ohio Sen. JD Vance is heading to Southern California in the coming days for fundraisers in Los Angeles and San Diego.
