As the 2024 U.S. presidential election campaign enters its final hours, both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are making a last push for victory, focusing on swing states and the “blue wall.” The “blue wall” includes 18 states and Washington, D.C., historically reliable for Democratic candidates.
This stronghold was disrupted in 2016 when Trump won three of these states, but Joe Biden reclaimed them for Democrats in 2020. Alongside D.C., the states in the blue wall are:
– California
– New York
– Illinois
– Pennsylvania
– New Jersey
– Massachusetts
– Michigan
– Washington
– Wisconsin
– Maryland
– Minnesota
– Connecticut
– Oregon
– Maine
– Hawaii
– Delaware
– Rhode Island
– Vermont
These states were consistently Democratic from 1992 to 2012, until Trump won Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin in 2016, signaling a significant shift. In 2024, these three states carry a combined 44 electoral votes, making them critical battlegrounds.
The latest NYC/Siena poll, released Sunday, shows Harris with a slight advantage in Wisconsin, holding 49% of likely voters. In Michigan and Pennsylvania, however, she is locked in a close race with Trump, each polling around 47% and 48%, respectively.
Both Harris and Trump have directed significant resources toward these three pivotal states, with rallies, ad campaigns, and targeted messaging. For Harris, the goal is to secure the blue wall and prevent another upset like in 2016, while Trump is working to recapture the momentum that led to his unexpected victories in these states eight years ago.
In Pennsylvania, Harris has emphasized her administration’s economic and healthcare policies, aiming to resonate with suburban and working-class voters who were pivotal in the state’s flip back to blue in 2020. Trump, meanwhile, has focused on energy policy, promising to revitalize coal and natural gas jobs, a message he believes will appeal to voters in Pennsylvania’s industrial and rural regions.
Michigan remains a tight race, where Harris has focused on issues of manufacturing jobs, clean energy initiatives, and labor rights, hoping to appeal to both union members and environmental advocates. Trump has doubled down on promises to bring back manufacturing jobs and reduce government regulations, drawing on his record from his first term. His rallies in Michigan have been filled with appeals to “make American industries great again,” hoping to reignite the loyalty that led many Rust Belt voters to support him previously.
