Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
30 October 2024 | 12:14 CAT
3-minute read

With just under a week before Americans head to the polls for the 2024 United States (US) presidential election, surveys show that Kamala Harris holds a narrow lead of 1 percent of the popular vote over Donald Trump.

In US presidential elections, the federalist system shapes a two-layered voting process: the popular vote and the Electoral College. The popular vote represents individual citizens’ votes within each state, but it does not directly determine the winner. Instead, each state is assigned a certain number of Electoral College votes, roughly proportional to its population, and most states award all their Electoral College votes to the candidate who wins the popular vote within that state. The candidate who receives a majority of these 538 electoral votes—at least 270—wins the presidency, even if they did not win the nationwide popular vote.

According to the 538/ABC News election poll, Harris’s lead over Trump is even narrower in the swing states of Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin and Nevada.

Both the Democratic and Republican parties have intensified campaigns in these states, which are likely to determine the outcome of the election, Hafidh Ibrahim Deen said earlier today on Radio Islam’s Media Lens.

Deen noted that while polling provides a snapshot of citizens’ opinions- which are subject to change- trends have shown declining support for Harris because of her stance on Israel’s genocide in Gaza, which has alienated a large proportion of the electorate.

“From a broader perspective, the hype surrounding Harris’ campaign has actually weakened over the past few months. A lot of it is the fact that she’s stayed the same as Biden on Gaza, for example, which is alienating not just Muslim and Arab voters, but also young Democrats,” Deen said.

Additionally, Harris recently included Liz Cheney in her campaign in the three swing states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Cheney, a former Republican congresswoman, has been described as a war hawk for her support of the US’s invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. Her inclusion in Harris’s events on Monday in Chester, Oakland and Waukesha counties is seen as an attempt to rally support from Republicans who are disillusioned with Trump.

Overall, the upcoming US presidential election has been given wide media coverage, Deen said and outlined the factors that have been overlooked by major news outlets.

One such factor is the lack of opposition for the view of Trump as an isolationist advocating for a foreign policy that opposes involvement in the political affairs and wars of other countries. Additionally, the media lacks in its coverage of Trump’s support for Israel and the September 2020 Abraham Accords, which consist of bilateral agreements on Arab-Israeli normalisation between Israel and the UAE, as well as between Israel and Bahrain.

“One is foreign policy. There is still this focus that Trump is very isolationist, and in actual fact he isn’t. Also, very little focus of his support for Israel and the Abraham Accords… Statements on Israel-Palestine from Trump officials…which have genocidal intent,” Deen said.

Reasons for the decline in support for Harris from Arab, Muslim and young Democrat voters have been given wider coverage in external media outlets than internal American outlets, Deen pointed out.

Critics argue that US election discourse remains insular, highlighting the rights of Americans while largely overlooking global implications. This framing reflects a historical narrative in American politics where civil rights have been prioritised over broader human rights.

Analysts suggest that while Harris appears poised to secure the popular vote, winning the Electoral College vote remains challenging, hinging on razor-thin margins in key swing states.

Listen to the Media Lens on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat.