Seven weeks before the US presidential election, Kamala Harris continued her campaign to attract voters from ethnic minorities on Wednesday, boosted by a poll predicting a slight advantage over Donald Trump in two key states.
The vice president devoted part of this new day of campaigning to addressing Americans of Latino origin, after having given an interview the day before to an association of black journalists and while her campaign team multiplies advertising spaces on Spanish-speaking radio stations.
Invited to Washington by an organization that promotes and defends Latinos, the 59-year-old Democrat warned against the “mass expulsions” of immigrants and the “detention camps” promised by Donald Trump if he wins the November 5 election.
Advantage in Pennsylvania
The American central bank (Fed) announced on the same day that it was lowering its main interest rate by 0.5 points, a first since spring 2020 as inflation gradually returns to normal in the world’s largest economy.
It’s a boon for Kamala Harris, because it helps her defend the Democratic administration’s record, criticized by her Republican rival as the worst in decades.
The Democrat has taken a slight lead of at least 5 points over Donald Trump in Pennsylvania and Michigan, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday.
A week after the debate between the two candidates, the Democrat has won 51% of the vote in Pennsylvania, compared to 45% for her Republican rival.
The swing state is considered crucial in the White House race because it provides its winner with more electoral votes than any of the other six most contested states.
It was logically in Pennsylvania that the two adversaries faced each other, during the debate on September 10, which could well be the only one between the vice-president and the Republican billionaire.
It was also in this state that Donald Trump was the target of a first assassination attempt, on July 13, when a shooter shot him in the ear.
According to the Quinnipiac poll, Ms. Harris leads against Mr. Trump in Michigan (50 to 45%) and much less clearly in Wisconsin (48 to 47%).
The candidate who is defeated in these three states loses virtually all chance of being elected nationally. Donald Trump won them in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020.
Road hauliers’ setbacks
However, the presidential life did not only record good news on Wednesday: the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the powerful American truck drivers’ union, announced that it would no longer officially support one of the candidates, breaking with a quarter-century of support for the Democrats.
In fact, the Democratic Party has been able to count on the loyal support of the Teamsters since 2000 and this is the first time since 1996 that the union has chosen not to choose.
Representatives of the union organization, which has 1.3 million members, met with Ms. Harris on Monday.
Two polls released Wednesday by the union show that its base is in favor of supporting Donald Trump.
For his part, the Republican candidate is due to speak later on Wednesday at a campaign rally in Uniondale, a town on Long Island in New York State.
Why is the billionaire campaigning in this non-fighting state that is most likely to be won by Kamala Harris? Because several congressional seats are at stake there that could decide who will control the House of Representatives in the future.