Same as it ever was.
As most anxious politicos, nervous journalists, and terrified pollsters will admit, the U.S. presidential race is currently too close to call. There are signs aplenty, but no consensus about what they will mean.
And Election Day cometh.
On one hand, from certain perspectives, former President Donald Trump appears to be running away with the race.
Donald Trump is leading the betting odds pool 61.3 to 37.7. Trump has a few commanding early voting leads in some extremely pivotal swing districts and states, including in Nevada,
“One Week Remains: Trump Slightly Ahead in Swing States,” Jonathan Draeger revealed for Real Clear Polling on Tuesday. “With one week left until Election Day, the polls are unlikely to shift significantly unless there is a last-minute surprise. While Donald Trump still holds consistent leads in polls, his win is not guaranteed, as his edge falls within the historical margin of error in most swing states.”
On the other hand, though there are some encouraging signs for the Harris campaign, Democrats are alarmed and growing more so by the day.
“Democrats alarmed Harris’s economic message isn’t breaking through,” Alexander Bolton fretted for The Hill this week. “Democrats are frustrated Vice President Harris hasn’t done more to sell her economic message and worry former President Trump continues to have a sizable advantage on what many voters say is their №1 issue.”
“Harris has focused on attacking Trump in recent weeks,” mused Bolton. “But she has lost ground to him in the polls, as voters say they are less likely to be motivated by additional criticisms of Trump, whose flaws are well-known after standing in the national spotlight for more than eight years.”
“The Harris campaign says it will put more focus on the economy in the final week of the campaign, but abortion-rights and criticisms of Trump’s character get more applause at Harris’s rallies with stars such as Michelle Obama, Bruce Springsteen, and Maggie Rogers,” admits Bolton.
Some quarters are already bracing for the worst they fear from a potential Trump return.
“If You’re Being Fatalistic or Panicking, You Are Helping Donald Trump,” warned Michael Tomasky for The New Republic on Monday. “Yes, there’s so much riding on this election. But here’s a crazy idea: You may as well spend this last week feeling confident.”
“To put it simply, liberals tend toward fatalism and panic; the label often employed is ‘bedwetters,’” he complained. “Did you see those new anti-trans ads? She’s doomed. Oh my God, did you see what Nate Silver just said? It’s over. Yikes, the polls in Pennsylvania just shifted seven-tenths of a point in Trump’s favor, this is a nightmare. Oh dear, the Nevada early vote totals are a disaster. And on and on and on and on: Liberals look for things to panic about. Everywhere you look, liberals are finding a reason to white-knuckle their way through these final hours.”
“The first is concern that Kamala Harris has largely lost her post-convention lead in the polls,” he allowed. “There is truth to this. It’s concerning. But it’s nothing to freak out about.”
“But it’s all margin of error stuff,” Bolton dismisses. “Completely meaningless, statistically.”
“I’m not saying don’t be worried,” Bolton added. “I’m worried all the time. But I don’t worry about polls. I worry about who will control the narrative in this closing week, and where those still-undecided voters are going to land.”
He isn’t the only Democrat worried in the closing days of this Election cycle.
(contributing writer, Brooke Bell)