Harris, who appeared to have lost the momentum she initially gained after President Joe Biden passed the Democratic nomination to her this past July, is now surging, bolstered by a series of recent missteps from Trump and his allies. Among these missteps was the decision to feature a comedian who referred to Puerto Rico as an “island of floating garbage” at a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden last month, which sparked backlash.
On Saturday, respected pollster Ann Selzer released her annual Iowa survey showing Harris with a three-point lead—47 percent to 44 percent—largely due to strong support from female voters. Previously, Harris trailed Trump by four points in Iowa in September and had inherited an 18-point deficit when she took over from Biden.
A national poll from NPR and Marist College on Monday showed Harris receiving support from 51 percent of respondents compared to Trump’s 47 percent, a lead beyond the poll’s 3.5-point margin of error. Meanwhile, the final NBC News poll revealed Trump losing support among Black and Latino voters, with Harris securing 87 percent of the Black vote.
The Harris campaign is ending the race with a significant get-out-the-vote initiative, described as the largest coordinated event of its kind, running across all seven battleground states. These states include Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, with events featuring Harris, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and a national livestream program tying the efforts together.
Harris campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said on a call Monday that this event aims to “capture the grassroots enthusiasm we’re seeing everywhere” and to mobilize voters heading into Election Day.
“Tomorrow, we’ll have elected officials, performers, and speakers reaching wide networks across social media platforms to ensure our message is reaching voters who are harder to engage,” she said. “These events will be major mobilization and volunteer engagement opportunities.”
Privately, Democratic sources have expressed optimism, with one swing-state party chair highlighting “significant crossover voting from Republicans” and high early turnout among key groups, including Latinos.
Trump’s response to a Biden gaffe where the president appeared to call Trump supporters “garbage” seemed only to extend the controversy ignited by the comedian’s remarks. A photo op with a garbage truck backfired, drawing further attention to the issue for Latino voters rather than redirecting focus to Biden.
Trump also undermined his own campaign’s messaging over the weekend with erratic public appearances. At one rally, he even mimicked an intimate act with a malfunctioning microphone, adding to the odd tone of his events.
One Democratic strategist suggested that the timing of Harris’s rise against Trump’s decline seemed fated. “Aaron Sorkin couldn’t have scripted it better,” they commented.
Meanwhile, Trump and his running mate JD Vance ended their campaign with a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan—the same location where Trump concluded his successful 2016 run against Hillary Clinton and where he wrapped up his 2020 campaign against Biden.
Michigan remains a critical swing state, and Grand Rapids is a traditional Republican stronghold. Trump, known for his superstitions, chose to finish his campaign here, though he also began the day in North Carolina, a GOP stronghold that he might lose to Harris.
Trump’s recent rallies, however, have drawn smaller crowds, with the candidate himself appearing visibly off-balance, shifting between confusion and anger. In one instance, he even suggested that a potential assassination attempt would have to target him through a crowded media section.
A Republican operative who previously worked with Trump’s campaign commented that Trump seems to be “decompensating” as Harris gains momentum.
“He’s facing the possibility of losing the election, going to prison, and potentially dying there,” they said.
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