May 2024 had been the worst month in President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, CNBC reported. According to Reuters, 57% of Americans disapproved of Biden’s presidential reelection campaign and a mere 37% approved in May. On May 30, former President Donald Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts, making it illegal for Trump to vote in most states. 

The June Presidential Debate featured Biden and Trump, who racked up a total of 178 insults against each other. After Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, on July 21, just six days later, Biden endorsed his current Vice President, Kamala Harris. A July 13 Trump assassination attempt triggered calls for tighter security. On July 15, JD Vance, the Ohio Senator, was announced as Trump’s choice for vice president at the Republican National Convention.

Competition heated up between Trump and Harris when the third party candidate, RF Kennedy (yes, that Kennedy) Jr., dropped out and endorsed Trump. According to 538 News, Kennedy was at a 40% disapproval rating in August and was already at a disadvantage to win electoral college votes as an independent candidate. Harris followed up Trump’s vice president announcement by selecting Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, as her running mate. 

The second presidential debate between Harris and Trump on Sept. 10 ended with 82% of registered voters who watched say it didn’t affect their choice for president, according to NPR. On Oct. 1 the vice presidential debate featured Walz and Vance debating issues such as immigration and the price of drug prescriptions. 

Harris’s support comes from Western and Northeastern states, while Trump’s strength lies in the South. In contrast, there are states that aren’t always Democratic or Republican, called swing states. This election’s most important swing states are Pennsylvania and Georgia because they have the most electoral college votes. As of early October, 270 reported Trump has a 0.5% lead in Georgia and Harris has a 0.4% lead in Pennsylvania.