Trump and Harris make a final pitch in Pennsylvania on the eve of historic US vote

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris predicted victory as they campaigned across Pennsylvania on Monday in the final, frantic day of an exceptionally close U.S. presidential election.

The campaign has seen head-spinning twists: two assassination attempts and a felony conviction for Republican former President Trump, and Democratic Vice President Harris' surprise elevation to the top of the ticket after President Joe Biden, 81, dropped his reelection bid under pressure from his party. 

More than $2.6 billion has been spent to sway voters' minds since March, according to AdImpact, an analytics firm.

Nevertheless, opinion polls show that Trump, 78, and Harris, 60, are virtually even. The winner may not be known for days after Tuesday's vote, though Trump has already signaled that he will attempt to fight any defeat, as he did in 2020.

Both candidates converged on Pennsylvania on Monday to urge supporters who have not yet cast their ballots to appear on Election Day. The state offers the largest share of votes in the Electoral College of any of the seven battleground states expected to determine the outcome.

In Pittsburgh, Trump appeared before a large crowd in an arena and offered what his campaign called his final closing message to voters in the last hours before Election Day.

"We've been waiting four years for this," said Trump, who mounted a 2024 comeback bid after losing the 2020 election to Biden.

Trump pushed economic themes in his Pittsburgh speech, saying Harris would bring economic misery if she is elected.

"We're going to win the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and it's going to be over," said Trump, who later announced on stage podcaster Joe Rogan had endorsed him.

In Allentown, Harris predicted victory and promised to be a president for "all Americans" as she appealed to the city's substantial Puerto Rican community, who were outraged by insults from a comedian at a Trump rally last week.

Later, Harris went door-knocking in Reading and held a brief rally in Pittsburgh, where pop star Katy Perry played a set. Harris was scheduled to finish the day with a celebrity-filled event in Philadelphia.
"Tomorrow is election day, and the momentum is on our side," Harris said in Pittsburgh.

"We know it is time for a new generation of leadership in America ... And make no mistake, we will win," she said to enthusiastic cheers.
Harris' campaign team said its volunteers knocked on hundreds of thousands of doors in each battleground state this weekend.

Reuters