PITTSBURGH: Bitter rivals Kamala Harris and Donald Trump embark on a final frenzied campaign blitz with both hitting must-win Pennsylvania on the last day of a tight and volatile US presidential election campaign.
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.
The world is anxiously watching the election, which is set to have profound implications for conflicts in the Middle East and Russia's war in Ukraine, and for tackling climate change.
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 Philadelphia featuring singer Lady Gaga. Trump will travel to North Carolina, Pennsylvania and then Michigan.
In a sign of how crucial Pennsylvania is to occupying the Oval Office, Trump and Harris will hold duelling 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 early turnout numbers, with over 78 million people having voted already, around half of the total number of ballots cast in 2020.
The 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 has doubled down on his dark and violent rhetoric in his pursuit of a second term which would make him the first convicted felon and, at 78, the oldest major party candidate ever elected.
Vice-President Harris, 60, 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 zig-zag through the swing states, with raucous rallies, podcast interviews to reach reluctant voters, and stunts such as Trump riding in a trash truck and Harris appearing on television comedy show "Saturday Night Live."
On the campaign trail on Sunday, Trump mused to supporters that he wouldn't mind if journalists were shot, raised baseless allegations of election fraud and dwelt in gory detail on crimes by undocumented immigrants. SEE ALSO P7
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