[US Election 2024]
The election to choose the 47th President of the United States began on the 5th (local time), with Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican candidate former President Donald Trump both rallying their supporters and urging voters to cast their ballots.
Vice President Harris said in a radio interview in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a key battleground state, in the morning, "People are tired of this era that divides us," adding, "We all have more in common than what divides us."
She stated, "Leadership should not be about blaming and belittling people," and "Leadership is about trying to find common ground."
This was interpreted as a critique of former President Trump's divisive politics and an emphasis on leadership through unity.
Former President Trump also expressed confidence in victory and appealed to his supporters to vote.
In a post on his social media platform Truth Social that day, he said, "Today’s election day will be the most important day in American history," emphasizing, "We will all achieve a tremendous victory and make America great again." He continued, "The radical communist Democrats want you to pack up and go home," urging, "No matter how long it takes, you must vote."
The main presidential election voting began at 6 a.m. Eastern Time in key states such as New York and Virginia. Starting at 7 p.m., seven states including the battleground state Georgia will close polls and begin counting votes sequentially. There are 244 million eligible voters in this election, and based on the 66.6% turnout rate in 2020, approximately 162 million are expected to participate. Since the two candidates are showing an extremely close race, it may take several days before the election results are announced.
In this election, one-third of the U.S. Senate seats, 34 in total, and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives will be newly elected. Korean-American Congressman Andy Kim (Democrat, New Jersey) is running for the Senate, raising expectations for the historic election of the first thousand Korean-American U.S. Senator.
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