US Election 2024 LIVE Updates: 244 million Americans to pick between Trump and Harris

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are locked in a close contest to be the next US President.

Vice President Kamala Harris is seeking to become the first woman, Black, and Asian-American to lead the nation. She has portrayed her opponent, former President Donald Trump, as a threat to democracy, emphasizing her commitment to protecting reproductive rights and reducing housing and healthcare costs.

She became Democrats’ replacement candidate this summer when US President Joe Biden was pushed off the ticket and forced to abandon his re-election bid after stumbling badly in his debate with Trump.

One of the few constants in the campaign has been how close it’s remained. The election is expected to be decided by razor-thin margins, and the results may not be known for days.

Trump, who aims for a political comeback, seeks to capitalize on polls showing Americans favor his economic leadership over Harris. He has pledged a hardline stance on immigration, promising mass deportations and significant tax cuts.

Trump has also framed his political rivals as an “enemy from within,” a message further fueled by a July rally where an assassin’s bullet narrowly missed him.

Trump winning would make him the first incoming president to have been indicted and convicted of a felony. He would gain the power to end other federal investigations pending against him. Trump would also become only the second president in history to win nonconsecutive White House terms, after Grover Cleveland in the late 19th century.

The two candidates offered opposite visions of how to lead in what’s set to become the costliest campaign in US history. Trump promised an amplified version of his playbook-shredding first term, with its emphasis on “America First.”

Harris ran an extremely careful campaign that saw her reintroduce herself to voters after her 2020 election run and as she sought to distinguish herself from Biden without criticising the president who made her his running mate and endorsed her to replace him at the top of the ticket.