Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris will hold duelling campaign events this weekend in Pennsylvania, the political battleground that could be the most critical state in the November 5 US presidential election.

Trump, the former US president, will hold a Saturday rally in Wilkes-Barre in the northeastern section of the state.

US Vice President Harris will conduct a bus tour of western Pennsylvania starting in Pittsburgh on Sunday, ahead of the Democratic National Convention kickoff on Monday in Chicago.

Pennsylvania was one of three Rust Belt states, along with Wisconsin and Michigan, that helped power Trump’s upset victory in 2016.

US President Joe Biden, who grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, flipped the trio back to Democrats in 2020.

The three states are true bellwethers — the only US states to have voted for the eventual winner of the presidential race in every cycle since 2008.

In related polls published on Saturday, the New York Times said that since entering the race, Harris “has stormed into contention” in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina, Sun Belt states where Trump appeared to have been forging ahead.

Opinion

Editorial

Not cricket
Updated 06 Apr, 2025

Not cricket

It is high time that the PCB sets things right; even if it demands a complete overhaul of the system.
Balochistan deadlock
Updated 06 Apr, 2025

Balochistan deadlock

Akhtar Mengal’s demands to release women activists should seriously be considered.
Escalating brutality
06 Apr, 2025

Escalating brutality

ISRAEL’S war against Gaza is not a campaign against Hamas — it is a war against a people. The latest ground...
Electricity relief
Updated 05 Apr, 2025

Electricity relief

If govt ensures that requisite power reforms are implemented, it will earn much praise for reforming a vital segment of the economy.
Trump’s trade wars
Updated 05 Apr, 2025

Trump’s trade wars

Shoddy math applied by US to indiscriminately penalise its trading partners signals the end of an era of global trade liberalisation.
Legalised land grab
Updated 05 Apr, 2025

Legalised land grab

The Modi government from its inception has been attacking India’s minorities, the largest such community in its crosshairs being the Muslims.