By AP News
Photos: YouTube Screenshots
When Donald Trump and Kamala Harris meet onstage Tuesday night in Philadelphia, they’ll both know there’s little debate that Pennsylvania is critical to their chances of winning the presidency. Read more.
Why this matters:
The most populous presidential swing state has sided with the winner of the past two elections, each time by just tens of thousands of votes. Polling this year suggests Pennsylvania will be close once more in November.
A loss in the state will make it difficult to make up the electoral votes elsewhere to win the presidency. The stakes may be especially high for Harris: No Democrat has won the White House without Pennsylvania since 1948.
Republicans are looking to blunt Trump’s unpopularity in Pennsylvania’s growing and increasingly liberal suburbs by criticizing the Biden administration’s handling of the economy. Harris is looking to reassemble the coalition behind Biden’s winning campaign, including college students, Black voters and women animated by protecting abortion rights.
RELATED COVERAGE ➤
What the Trump-Clinton debates might tell us about Tuesday’s match with Harris
Trump threatens to jail adversaries in escalating rhetoric ahead of pivotal debate
Harris turns to her favorite foods in effort show a more private side and connect with voters