Vice President Kamala Harris is set to deliver remarks in the final full week of the presidential race at the White House Ellipse, where former President Donald Trump rallied supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, before a mob rioted at the U.S. Capitol.
Ms. Harris is looking to make a strong point about the driving message of her campaign: that Mr. Trump is too selfish and unstable to lead the nation again.
Mr. Trump plans to kick off the final campaign week with a rally Monday in Atlanta. The final Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll showed Mr. Trump had a 47% to 43% lead over Ms. Harris, with 8% of likely voters on the fence.
Mr. Trump, who would be the oldest person elected U.S. president at 78, also has campaign events scheduled in the electoral battlegrounds of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Nevada. He will also try to expand the Republican map with events in Virginia and New Mexico.
“It’s just a turnout contest at this point,” said Republican Party strategist Alex Conant. “Both candidates will double down on communicating the importance of the election to their respective bases.”
Millions of voters have already cast ballots through the mail or in-person early voting, and both campaigns are urging voters not to wait until Election Day.
SEE ALSO: Kamala Harris tells Pennsylvania churchgoers they can decide their future
That marks a significant change from 2020, when Mr. Trump waged a relentless war against early voting and Democrats dominated the massive mail-in balloting during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Previewing his closing message, Mr. Trump said in a Sunday television ad that the U.S. economy was humming when he left office thanks to his 2017 tax cuts.
“When I left office, it changed. Inflation destroyed the lives of so many people. Interest rates went from 2% to 10%. And millions of illegal immigrants and traffickers and drugs coming into our country,” Mr. Trump said in the ad. “Our country has gone to hell.”
It set up the contrast between the two campaigns, with Mr. Trump focused on the economy and immigration and Ms. Harris leaning into abortion rights and warnings about Mr. Trump posing a threat to American democracy.
A Gallup poll this month found that voters’ “extremely important” election issues were the economy (52%), democracy in the U.S. (49%), terrorism or national security (45%), types of Supreme Court justices candidates would pick (45%) and immigration (41%).
Ms. Harris has events scheduled in Michigan and Wisconsin — a pair of “blue wall” states that she likely needs to win to have any hope of being president — and Nevada and Arizona.
SEE ALSO: Running mate J.D. Vance defends Trump’s ‘enemy from within’ comments
Speaking in Michigan over the weekend, Ms. Harris said Mr. Trump is responsible for stripping away federal abortion rights. She said she is fighting for the “fundamental freedom of a woman to be able to make decisions about her own body and not have her government telling her what to do.”
Ms. Harris also said Mr. Trump has “become more confused, more unstable and more angry” over the past eight years.
“It is clear he has become increasingly unhinged,” she said, urging supporters to visualize their choice for the next commander in chief. “It is either Donald Trump in there stewing over his enemies list or me working for you checking off my to-do list.”
On Sunday, Ms. Harris addressed congregants at the Church of Christian Compassion in Philadelphia. She needs a strong turnout from Black voters to win Pennsylvania.
Mr. Trump held a high-profile rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Ms. Harris’ remarks at the Ellipse on Tuesday will be the first from a prominent political figure since Mr. Trump urged his supporters to march to the Capitol and call on Congress to stop the certification of the presidential election results, which he insisted was rigged.
Polls show the race is neck and neck.
The final New York Times/Sienna College national poll showed Ms. Harris and Mr. Trump tied for the popular vote at 48%.
The final stretch of the race follows a wild three months: Mr. Trump survived two assassination attempts, Ms. Harris took over for President Biden atop the Democratic Party ticket, and Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina.
Mr. Biden, 81, has been mostly relegated to the sidelines. Axios reported that the Harris campaign has kept Mr. Biden at arm’s length and has been reluctant to accept his offers to attend the campaign trail on her behalf.
Ms. Harris, who turned 60 this month, does not plan to appear with Mr. Biden before Election Day.
She campaigned with former President Barack Obama, former first lady Michelle Obama and celebrities including Beyonce, Willie Nelson and Bruce Springsteen.
“Our moment right now, it’s time for America to sing a new song,” Beyonce said at a Harris rally in Houston. “Are you all ready to add your voice to the new American song? Because I am. So let’s do this.”
Ms. Harris will campaign on Wednesday in Madison, Wisconsin, with music artists Gracie Abrams and Mumford & Sons.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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