US Presidential Election Final Stretch Hinges on '2%P'... Harris and Trump Mobilize Star Power

Harris Leads with Obama... Beyonc? Performance Too
Trump Backed by Musk... Haley's Love Call
Intense Campaigning in a Tight Race with Unpredictable Outcome

As the U.S. presidential election remains a tight race with a margin of just 2 percentage points until the final moments, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have mobilized their 'star power' to rally votes. In a situation where predicting the outcome is difficult, they are leveraging celebrities like Beyonc? and Elon Musk to attract undecided voters.

Vice President Kamala Harris (left) and former President Donald Trump, candidates for the 2024 U.S. presidential election [Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

From Obama to Beyonc?... Harris Gains Star Support

Barack Obama, considered the most star-powered politician in the Democratic Party, held his first joint campaign rally with Democratic candidate Vice President Harris on the 24th (local time) in Atlanta, Georgia, a battleground state. Obama continued his attacks on former President Trump, saying, "America does not need a king who runs around punishing enemies or someone who wants to be a dictator."

The joint rally with Obama drew attention as it came amid evaluations that Vice President Harris's support, especially among Black male voters, has recently stalled. Rock legend Bruce Springsteen also attended the event and performed. On the 26th, Michelle Obama, who enjoys overwhelming support from Black and female voters, is set to make an appearance.

The star Harris's campaign currently expects the most from is popular singer Beyonc?. According to the New York Times (NYT) and others, Beyonc? is scheduled to perform at Harris's rally in her hometown of Houston, Texas, on the 25th. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported, "The Harris campaign hopes that Beyonc?'s star power will persuade undecided voters to vote for Harris."

Previously, singers Lizzo, Usher, Eminem, and Stevie Wonder also attended Harris's rallies. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also lent her support to Vice President Harris in an interview with CNN on the same day.

Trump’s ‘One-Man Army’ Musk... Love Call to Haley

Republican presidential candidate former President Trump has relatively fewer high-profile campaign supporters. However, he enjoys the backing of Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, who is considered a ‘one-man army.’

CEO Musk, through the super PAC (political action committee) he founded supporting former President Trump, ‘America PAC,’ is holding a phone town hall meeting on the 25th and a Pennsylvania town hall meeting on the 26th. He is also scheduled to join Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden in New York on the 27th. Although the U.S. Department of Justice has warned against announcing winners, the PAC has been encouraging conservative voters in battleground states to register by randomly selecting one resident daily who signs petitions supporting free speech and gun rights to receive $1 million.

Due to distancing from mainstream Republican forces, former President Trump has fewer campaign rallies and is also reaching out to former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, a former primary competitor. This appears to be a strategy to consolidate his existing base through the popular Musk among white men while trying to attract women and highly educated voters, whose support is low, by promoting Haley.

Polls Show a Tight Race Within 2 Percentage Points

The reason both party candidates are fiercely campaigning until the end by leveraging ‘star power’ is due to the minimal gap in support rates. With a razor-thin margin of up to 2 percentage points making it difficult to predict the final election result, they aim to rally supporters and win over undecided voters and the opposing side’s electorate.

According to a poll released the previous night by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), which surveyed 1,500 registered voters nationwide from the 19th to the 22nd (margin of error ±2.5 percentage points), former President Trump led Vice President Harris by 2 percentage points, with 47% support to her 45%. A poll conducted by Forbes and polling agency HarrisX on the 21st and 22nd, surveying 1,244 likely voters nationwide (margin of error ±2.5 percentage points), also showed Trump ahead with 51% to Harris’s 49%.

Especially in battleground states, which will be the decisive factor in the election, a close contest is confirmed. According to a poll released by Bloomberg News on the same day, surveying 5,308 registered voters in seven battleground states (margin of error ±1 percentage point), Vice President Harris’s support stood at 49.1%, slightly ahead of former President Trump’s 48.5% within the margin of error. Among the battleground states, Harris leads in four, while Trump leads in three, making it a very close race.