Two weeks before the end of the US presidential election campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are in a race for votes in key states.

On Monday, Harris, the Democratic Party’s nominee, made stops in all three “blue wall” states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, which have traditionally voted for the party and have been crucial to the victories of the last two Democratic presidents.

At the same time, Trump, the Republican candidate, visited Asheville, North Carolina, where he fears that the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Helene could negatively impact voter turnout in a race that polls show is getting closer by the day moves.

Here’s a look at what the polls are saying, key highlights from the previous day’s campaigns, and a look at what’s coming next.

What are the latest updates from the surveys?

Trump and Harris are in a neck-and-neck race in the country’s seven battleground states that can decide either candidate, according to the latest voter poll published Monday by The Washington Post.

A Washington Post and Schar School poll of more than 5,000 registered voters in the first half of October found that 47 percent each were likely to support Harris and Trump.

Among likely voters, 49 percent support Harris, compared to 48 percent for Trump.

The poll comes at a time when Trump’s average is slightly ahead of Harris in the total of polls calculated by the website FiveThirtyEight, although the gap is so small that it remains a statistical tie.

According to FiveThirtyEight’s daily election poll tracker, Harris was leading the national polls as of Oct. 21, with a 1.8 percentage point lead over Trump.

But in the key states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Nevada – which have a total of 51 votes in the 538-member Electoral College – the two candidates are effectively tied, with less than half a percent separating them. If either Trump or Harris wins all four of these states, they are effectively guaranteed the presidency.

What did Kamala Harris do?

Harris’ first stop on October 21 was Malvern, Pennsylvania, with former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney. Cheney – the daughter of former Vice President and Iraq war architect Dick Cheney – spoke in front of a “Country Over Party” banner and urged Republican voters unhappy with Trump to support Harris instead.

In a post on his Truth Social platform on Monday, Trump called Cheney “stupid as a rock” and a “war hawk.” The Cheneys are among the most prominent Republicans supporting Harris.

When asked why she supported Harris, Liz Cheney explained that it was crucial to stand behind a candidate who defended what she called conservatives’ most “conservative” principle: the U.S. Constitution.

“You have to choose in this race between someone who has been loyal to the Constitution, who will be loyal to the Constitution, and Donald Trump,” Cheney said.

Separately, Susan Ford Bales, the daughter of former Republican US President Gerald Ford, also supported Harris on Monday.

On Monday, Harris also acknowledged that the campaign was having an impact on her. When asked in Michigan if she sleeps, Harris replied, “These days I usually wake up in the middle of the night, to be honest.”

But Harris said she tries to keep a routine: “I work out. I try to eat well, you know. I love my family and make sure I talk to the kids and my husband every day.”

Meanwhile, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz appeared on ABC’s “The View,” a female-hosted talk show, where he described some of Trump’s comments about using his presidential powers to persecute critics as “talk from dictators.” Later Monday, Walz also appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Variety.

If you stand for country, democracy and the rule of law, our campaign is for you. https://t.co/3ebj7ky8NG

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) October 21, 2024

What did Donald Trump do?

Trump spent the day in North Carolina – a swing state he has won twice but where he is now in a tight race with Harris, who has a lead of less than a percentage point, according to the Oct. 22 FiveThirtyEight poll average.

“It’s incredible to see this, the power of nature,” Trump said after seeing hurricane damage along his motorcade route in Asheville. “There’s nothing you can do about it. But you have to get a better crew.” He then expressed his condolences to the storm victims.

He repeated a false claim that the federal government didn’t have enough money for hurricane victims because it was being used to help immigrants in the country illegally.

“They ran out of money for North Carolina,” he said.

pic.twitter.com/igllXjOepF

– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 21, 2024

Asheville suffered severe damage from Helene last month, with flooding washing away roads, homes and bridges across much of North Carolina.

Trump has previously accused Harris of abandoning North Carolina and allowing hurricane victims to “drown.”

He also said – without evidence – that Democrats are trying to rig the 2024 election and claimed – also without evidence – that the 2020 election, which he lost to President Joe Biden, was marred by widespread voter fraud.

Trump said he didn’t want to take any days off in the run-up to the November election. “I don’t want a day off. We have to win,” he added. Asked whether he had observed any incidents of fraud that made him doubt the fairness of the election, Trump replied: “Well, I didn’t.”

But both parties agree on something

Harris and Trump have a common message: People need to vote.

Trump used his social media platform Truth Social to remind his supporters in Michigan that it was the last day to register to vote in the state, while Democrats urged people to do so in a post on X to vote for the US elections.

In North Carolina, Trump also urged voters not to let the storm stop them from voting. “You need to go out and vote.”

“Donald Trump knows that to have a chance of winning back the White House, he must ensure that his base turns out. He may not have won over new voters, but he must not lose the support of those who have always supported him,” Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher said in a report from Greenville, North Carolina.

His supporters are also supporting him as the election approaches.

“I can tell you, if he doesn’t get in, this country is gone,” said Kevin O’Carroll, a Trump supporter.

Just 14 days before Election Day, November 5th, early voting is taking place in almost every state across the country.

MICHIGAN! Are you registered to vote?

The deadline is approaching soon!

Don’t miss the most important election of our lives.

Visit https://t.co/vG0nP7EghA #TooBigToRig #SwampTheVote pic.twitter.com/4qnPvOZnNi

– Team Trump (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TeamTrump) October 18, 2024

What’s next for the Harris and Trump campaigns?

Obamas will join Harris in the election campaign

On Tuesday, Obama will travel to Detroit to try again to inspire voters for Harris.

The former president and his wife, Michelle, remain popular with the Democratic base.

Obama, who has been traveling through key battleground states, will campaign alongside Harris in Georgia on October 24. He was heavily criticized after a recent event in Pennsylvania where he criticized some black men for not being open to the idea of ​​a woman president.

Michelle Obama will make her first campaign appearance of this election cycle on October 26 in Michigan, joining Harris.

On Tuesday, Trump will convene a roundtable with Latin American business leaders in Miami and then return to North Carolina for the second straight day to hold a rally in the city of Greensboro.

“The Latino community knows that President Donald J. Trump is the only candidate who can bring prosperity back to America. That’s why they will vote for him in record numbers on November 5th,” his campaign website said.

Trump, like his rival Harris, will also be in Detroit this week after recently speaking at the Detroit Economic Club on October 10, where he denounced the state of the city. In his remarks, the former president stated that the US would become like Detroit if Harris were elected.

It was a great honor to host the 11th Hour Faith Leaders Meeting in North Carolina this evening – THANK YOU! pic.twitter.com/GDFXUWtxLq

– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 22, 2024