Pennsylvania has become a hot spot in the 2024 US presidential election, after signs that Republican candidate Donald Trump is turning the tables here.
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On October 10, former President Barack Obama held his first campaign rally for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Obama's efforts
While Vice President Harris campaigned in the battleground state of Nevada on October 10 and later rallied in Arizona, Obama sought to rally support for her in Pennsylvania. The former leader criticized Trump on areas such as health care, access to abortion, immigration and the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, according to Reuters. Obama also criticized his successor for spreading false rumors related to the federal government's response to Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton. For example, after Hurricane Helene ravaged the southeastern United States, Trump said on social media that the Biden administration was refusing to help people in Republican-leaning areas.
Former President Obama at a rally in Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) on October 10.
Photo: Reuters
"You have leaders who are trying to help, and then you have a guy who's just using lies to score political points, and that has consequences," Obama said. The former leader predicted that this year's election would be a fierce competition between the two presidential candidates. "But I don't understand why anyone thinks Trump is going to bring change," Obama said. At the same time, Obama also tried to convince black male voters, a group he said has not yet supported the vice president because she is a woman, according to Reuters.
Mr. Trump has an advantage in Pennsylvania
By throwing in the heavyweight Obama card in the final stages of the campaign, the Democrats hope the former leader can help candidate Harris gain an advantage in battleground states, especially Pennsylvania. This is an extremely necessary support in the context of betting markets showing figures showing that the victory seems to be leaning towards the Republican candidate. Since the October 1 debate between the two vice presidential candidates, Ohio Senator JD Vance, Republican, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Democratic, the betting markets have been leaning towards Mr. Trump, according to betting site Polymarket. USA Today said that the rise of a new wave of bets is increasing Mr. Trump's chances of winning in Pennsylvania. In recent weeks, Polymarket bettors have placed bets on Ms. Harris with a narrow lead in Pennsylvania, a state with 19 electoral votes. If she wins all the Democratic-friendly states, Harris and Pennsylvania will surpass the 270 electoral votes needed to declare victory. However, the betting numbers have changed after Trump's campaign returned to the site of the failed assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. With less than four weeks to go until the November 5 election, Trump's chances of winning the White House this year are much better than his two previous campaigns, in 2016 and 2020. As of the evening of October 9 (Vietnam time), Polymarket predicted Trump's winning rate at 53.1%, the highest number since August. In other words, Trump's chances of winning are increasing thanks to his chance of winning Pennsylvania. On Polymarket, Trump led Harris by 6.5% on October 9. Betfair Exchange, the UK’s largest online betting platform, showed a 3% lead for Trump on the same day. Four years earlier, on October 9, 2020, the odds of Democratic candidate Biden winning were 65%, and Biden became president that year.
Florida, Georgia not extending voter registration deadline
Despite the impact of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, two federal judges have refused to extend the voter registration deadline in Florida and Georgia for Election Day on November 5. Reuters reported yesterday that Judge Eleanor Ross in Atlanta, Georgia, rejected a request to extend the registration deadline to October 14. "We have not heard from anyone who has been unable to register to vote because of the storm," Judge Ross said. A day earlier, Judge Robert Hinkle in Tallahassee, Florida, issued a similar ruling on a request to extend the voter registration deadline by 10 days beyond the October 7 deadline.
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