Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris will both address supporters in a key swing state on Thursday: Nevada.
Trump is holding a rally in Henderson, Nevada, located southeast of Las Vegas, in the afternoon. That’s not the only Western state where Trump will host a campaign stop on Thursday − he’s also heading to Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Harris, meanwhile, will hold rallies Oct. 31 in Reno and Las Vegas to encourage Nevada voters to go to the polls, as well as a stop in Phoenix, Arizona.
Keep up with the USA TODAY Network’s live coverage from the campaign trail.
Harris campaign seeks to shore up support from Puerto Rican, Latino voters
The Harris campaign released a new ad Thursday aimed at targeting Puerto Rican and Latino voters in key battleground states just a few days out from the Nov. 5 election.
The new Spanish-language ad, titled Somos Más, takes a direct hit at comments that comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made at Trump’s Madison Square Rally on Sunday, where he called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.”
“Puerto Rico is an island of scientists, poets, educators, stars and heroes. ¡Boricua! We’re not trash, we’re more,” the narrator in the ad says.
A press release from the campaign notes that the ad will air on Spanish language TV, including Univision, Telemundo and WAPA America, as well as social media platforms such as TikTok and YouTube to reach voters.
— Sudiksha Kochi
How ballot counting will be protected on election night and beyond
More than a dozen county and city election officials spoke with USA TODAY about what they are doing to make sure they can count ballots at central ballot counting locations once polls close, no matter what happens outside.
Election officials have built new warehouses where ballots will be counted under increased security. Local and state law enforcement have run through multiple scenarios for large crowds descending on the ballot counting locations.
Some jurisdictions have reduced the number of observers allowed to attend and required them to obtain credentials far in advance.
— Sarah D. Wire and Sudiksha Koch
Who is ahead in the polls?
In the final days of the election, battleground states like Pennsylvania remain tightly-contested for Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump and could represent the key to an Electoral College victory.
Two recent polls show just how close the race is in Pennsylvania, which is among seven swing states that could determine a victory in the race for the White House. A new CNN poll conducted by SSRS found that in Pennsylvania, the race is tied, while a new poll from Quinnipiac University gave Trump a 1-point edge on Harris.
Nationwide, Trump and Harris are tied at 48% in the latest TIPP Tracking Poll.
As the nail-biter of a race approaches its conclusion in five days, Trump and Harris plan to both address supporters Thursday in Nevada, another key swing state.
–Eric Lagatta
Arnold Schwarzenegger endorses Harris
Former California Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced he will vote for the Democratic ticket in the presidential election.
“I will always be an American before I am a Republican,” he wrote in a social media post Wednesday. “That’s why, this week, I am voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.”
The professional bodybuilder and actor turned GOP politician served as governor from 2003 to 2011. California is Harris’ home state.
Schwarzenegger encouraged his followers to vote even if they disagree with him, but gave reasons he will not support former President Donald Trump.
–Rachel Barber
Historian who correctly predicted 9 of last 10 presidential elections picks Harris, still
Democratic nominee Kamala Harris will be the next president of the United States and beat Republican rival Donald Trump on Election Day, or so historian and election forecaster Allan Lichtman still predicts.
Known for correctly predicting the results of the last nine out of 10 presidential elections, Lichtman said on his YouTube channel Tuesday night that his prediction has not changed, despite Democratic nominee Harris’ leads in battleground states shrinking and polls being nail-bitingly close.
“Nothing has changed to change my prediction that I made on Sept. 5,” Lichtman said, “in defiance of the polls.”
–Sam Woodward
Harris campaigns in Wisconsin Wednesday night
Vice President Kamala Harris went back to a familiar place in the final stretch of her presidential campaign.
As she runs on preserving personal freedoms and protecting democracy, she made her pitch on Wednesday evening a few miles from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where her progressive parents participated in various civil rights causes in the late 60s. She spoke at the nearly 10,000-seat Alliant Energy Center here, to a majority-female crowd.
As president, Harris pledged that she would seek common ground and common-sense solutions to problems.“I am not looking to score political points. I am looking to make progress,” she said in her speech.
–Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy
Trump milks Biden’s garbage gaffe in insult-laden stump speech in Wisconsin
Former President Donald Trump made President Joe Biden’s “garbage” gaffe a central theme in his campaign rallies Wednesday. He also continued to take shots at his Democratic opponent Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Her gross incompetence disqualifies her from being president of the United States,” Trump said during a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Wednesday evening. “No one respects her, no one trusts her, no one takes her seriously.”
Trump rode into the Wisconsin event in the front seat of a personalized garbage truck, donning a neon orange trash collector’s vest. The move was in reference to Biden’s statement Tuesday, calling supporters of the former president “garbage.”
–Savannah Kuchar and David Jackson
Where do Donald Trump, Kamala Harris stand in the polls
The 2024 race for the White House will be razor-close until Election Day. In Real Clear Politics’ average of national polls, Trump leads Harris by just 0.4 percentage points, well within the margin of error for each of the surveys included.
It’s even closer in some of the swing states that could ultimately decide the election. For example, Harris leads Trump by 0.2 percentage points in Real Clear Politics’ average of Wisconsin polls.
– Marina Pitofsky
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Where is Donald Trump campaigning on Thursday?
Donald Trump on Thursday is holding rallies in two Western states: New Mexico and Nevada. Trump will address Albuquerque voters in the afternoon before making a campaign stop in Henderson, located outside of Las Vegas.
The former president unveiled one of his signature campaign promises during a June rally in Las Vegas, vowing that, if elected, he would try to end federal taxes on tips, a likely winner in Nevada, whose casino and entertainment economy depends on tips.
– Marina Pitofsky, Mark Robison
Where is Kamala Harris campaigning on Thursday?
Kamala Harris will hold rallies in Reno and Las Vegas, calling on Nevada voters to make a plan to vote. The Silver State is one of the pivotal swing states that could ultimately decide the 2024 election.
It will be the vice president’s first Northern Nevada visit since landing at the top of the Democratic ticket. Her last trip was in April 2023 when she spoke with Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve and actress Rosario Dawson about reproductive rights on the University of Nevada, Reno campus.
Harris is also set to address voters in Phoenix, Arizona Arizona at a Thursday morning rally.
– Mark Robison
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Election 2024 live updates: Trump, Harris in polls before Election Day
