Kamala Harris faces off against Donald Trump in the 2024 US election. Illustration / Phil Welch
It’s the one story that’s been impossible to escape this year – the US Presidential election.
Months of debates, rallies, and shocking developments have led to today when Americans are heading to the polls to decide who will lead their nation for the next four years.
Vice-President Kamala Harris is the Democratic nominee. Taking over from incumbent Joe Biden, she’s up against former President Donald Trump in what many are calling one of the most important elections of our lifetime.
Here’s a quick recap of the eventful six months leading up to voting day.
Back in May, Trump became the first President to be convicted of felony crimes, after a New York jury found him guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records.
The first debate took place in June, with Biden’s performance leading some to question if the 81-year-old was still fit to run.
On July 13 at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania, a gunman fired multiple shots at the former president, wounding him in his right ear and killing one audience member.
Only two days later, Trump took to his Truth social media account to announce Senator JD Vance of Ohio as his pick for Vice-President
With pressure mounting on the Democratic side, Biden announced his withdrawal from the race, only eight days after the attempt on his opponent’s life.
He gave his endorsement to Harris to take over his spot on the ticket before she was officially nominated in August.
For her running mate, she opted for Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz
Trump and Harris wouldn’t meet face to face until their debate in September remembered for producing many viral moments.
As the race entered the final weeks, a number of public figures made their endorsements.
Harris supporters included President Barack Obama, Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, and Beyonce.
Team Trump boasts support from Elon Musk, Zachary Levi, Buzz Aldrin, and Hulk Hogan.
With polls predicting one of the tightest races in recent memory, it’s still anyone’s game in the race to the White House.
NZ Herald deputy political editor Thomas Coughlan is in the US ahead of the election. He told The Front Page it seemed like a lot of Americans within the last week had made their minds up already.
“I think one of the main things is just how widespread the view that Joe Biden didn’t win the last election is.
“On the Democrat side, uh, it’s interesting to see consensus around the failure to get on top of illegal immigration into the country. Kamala Harris was in charge of the border, so it was a massive liability to her, but she is now promising to get tougher on it.
“I suppose the other surprising thing is just how widespread this view, and actually it’s a fear, that the result of the election will not be clear on election night,” he said.
Listen to the full episode to hear more about what Americans are saying on the ground.
The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. The podcast is presented by Chelsea Daniels, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in world news and crime/justice reporting who joined NZME in 2016.
You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
In some states, almost half of votes have already been cast.