Democrats and Republicans campaign in the same state

2024-08-08 21:20:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Democrats and Republicans campaign in the same state

Republican Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance speaks to reporters after getting to see the Vice President's Air Force Two in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, August 7, 2024. Source, AP

The two United States presidential campaigns made stops at the same location Wednesday in the town of Eau Claire of 71,000 in the unincorporated state of Wisconsin. Victory in this state could help both parties win the November election.

Republican Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance first stopped in Michigan, then headed to neighboring Wisconsin to talk to factory workers.

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, were in Wisconsin before holding another rally in Michigan in the evening.

The two sides were so close in Eau Claire that Mr. Vance went to see Vice President Harris' Air Force Two on the tarmac at the local airport, telling reporters:

"We landed almost at the same time as him and I went close because I wanted to see the plane that will be mine in a few months."

He also attacked Ms. Harris, adding, "I wanted to say hello to the reporters who are traveling with the vice president, as I believe they are feeling lonely because Kamala Harris is refusing to answer their questions."

During the plant visit, Mr. Vance accused Ms. Harris of dodging questions from reporters for 17 days since President Joe Biden decided to drop out of the race, endorsing the vice president as the Democratic nominee to face Republican rival Donald Trump.

Earlier in the day, former President Trump, in a telephone interview for "Fox News" television, described the selection of liberal Governor Tim Walz by Ms. Harris as a candidate for Vice President, as a 'shocking choice'.

Both he and Republican Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance have characterized Mr. Walz and his policies as liberal and out of the mainstream of American politics.

Mr. Walz and Ms. Harris began attacking former President Trump at their rally.

Vice President Harris said Mr. Trump, if he wins another four-year term, would cut aid to middle-class families, a group she and her running mate Walz have focused heavily on.

According to Ms. Harris, former President Trump would cut health insurance and pensions for Americans, while lowering "taxes for billionaires and big corporations." Mr. Trump has rejected these accusations.

She also attacked Mr. Trump for appointing three Supreme Court justices who in 2022 helped remove abortion as a constitutional right in the United States. Vice President Harris said she would support legislation to restore abortion as a right across the United States if it passes Congress.

"Donald Trump intends to take our nation back," she said, as the crowd chanted, "We're not going back."

Six or seven undecided states like Wisconsin are likely to dominate the rides of all four candidates for the Nov. 5 election. Early voting in some states begins in the last two weeks of September.

Undecided states play a large role in the outcome of the election because in the United States the president is not elected by direct popular vote.

The winner is determined by separate contests in all 50 states. The distribution of Electoral College votes for each state is based on the number of inhabitants, so the most populous states have the greatest influence.

National polls now show Ms. Harris narrowly ahead of Mr. Trump, overturning the lead the Republican nominee had over President Biden before the latter dropped out of the race.

But the result is very narrow.

A new Wisconsin poll by Marquette University Law School found that among likely voters, Ms. Harris is supported by 50% of voters, while Mr. Trump is supported by 49%.

Wisconsin has 10 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win, while Michigan, a state with the largest population, has 15./ VOA