WASHINGTON – As Labor Day approaches, the high-stakes final phase of this year’s unprecedented presidential election is set to commence, with both major party campaigns intensifying their focus on crucial swing states that will ultimately decide the election outcome.

Following an unexpected series of developments, including an unprecedented early debate at the end of June and the late July withdrawal of the sitting president, the contest between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris is becoming clearer.

Harris presents herself as a pragmatic leader who seeks progress, while Trump attempts to characterize her as excessively liberal. The former president has unleashed a barrage of personal attacks against Harris, criticizing her positions on issues like fracking and border security, despite his own shifts on topics such as immigration visas, cryptocurrency, electric vehicles, TikTok bans, and abortion rights in Florida.

As Trump assures voters he would avoid foreign conflicts, Harris reproaches him over previous remarks where he seemed to endorse dictatorial behavior from the onset of his presidency. In a recent address in Savannah, she warned that a recent Supreme Court decision could give Trump immunity from legal consequences during his presidency.

As the campaigns prepare for the busy weeks ahead, both sides have taken a brief pause.

After a series of rapid campaign stops in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, Trump, along with his running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, opted to take a break from the trail over the weekend.

Similarly, Harris and Walz took the weekend off after their visit to Georgia at the end of August. They plan to target the same key battleground states as Trump in their upcoming campaign stops starting Monday.

On her agenda is a trip to Detroit followed by an event in Pittsburgh, where she will join President Joe Biden for their first joint appearance since he stepped down from the Democratic ticket. Walz will be stopping in Milwaukee.

In the days that follow, the vice presidential selections and prominent campaign supporters will take on critical roles, while Trump and Harris gear up for a significant face-off.

The candidates’ first debate is anticipated on September 10 at ABC News in Philadelphia, despite an unresolved argument regarding whether microphones will be muted between statements.

Both candidates have their motivations for participating in the debate. Trump has seen a decline in poll numbers, while Harris continues to introduce herself to the electorate.

Traditionally, Labor Day weekend marks the unofficial kickoff of the general election period, shifting the focus of campaigns from registering voters to persuading them, and ultimately to encouraging voter turnout.

As polls indicate tight races across the swing states, all three elements of campaign strategy could prove vital.

The primary swing states for 2024 include Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. While Republicans have expressed intentions to challenge in Minnesota and Virginia, these states are not considered toss-ups, and with Harris and Walz on the ticket, Democratic support in these blue-leaning areas is on the rise.

Voting is set to commence shortly in some of these states as absentee ballots are distributed this month in Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. North Carolina will start mailing out its absentee ballots on September 6. Early voting will also begin in September in four states, Minnesota and Virginia included.

Strategies for Both Campaigns: Focus on the Blue Wall

Pennsylvania, with its 19 electoral votes, is seen as crucial for both candidates’ paths to victory, although both are devising alternative strategies.

Vance and Trump made visits to Pennsylvania last week, while Harris has been there twice in August and will send Walz next Thursday and Friday.

During her last visit, Harris toured western Pennsylvania with Walz and their partners, starting in Pittsburgh and moving through blue-strong Allegheny County into the more rural Beaver County, which Trump won, just before the Democratic National Convention.

This strategy will be built upon, as Harris plans to conduct bus tours that extend into rural areas and small towns of battleground states.

“It’s crucial to maintain slender margins in counties that might lean away from you. Aim for losing 60-40 instead of 70-30, for instance,” said Dan Kanninen, a strategist focused on battleground dynamics.

According to the director of the Harris-Walz campaign, it’s important to build on the Democratic gains in suburban areas, particularly among independents and moderate Republicans, focusing on key issues like abortion rights and the events of January 6.

In response to Harris’ rising popularity, Trump has intensified his campaign efforts in recent weeks, holding numerous rallies and events across crucial battleground states.

During the Democratic nominating convention in Chicago, Trump was active every day, traveling extensively. Besides Pennsylvania, he also campaigned twice in Michigan and once in Wisconsin last week.

The trio of states, known as the “Blue Wall,” were strongholds for Democrats for many years until Trump flipped them in 2016 on his way to the presidency.

Biden regained these states in 2020, and now both Trump and Harris are battling for them. These states represent a straightforward path to victory for Harris, even though her campaign highlights a broader strategy that involves aiming for support in several western and southern areas, including Georgia and North Carolina, known collectively as the Sun Belt.

Current polling averages from Real Clear Politics show Harris with a slight edge in all three Rust Belt states, but she is either trailing slightly or tied in the southern battlegrounds.

Harris has narrowed the gap with Trump, making Pennsylvania a competitive race.

“What Vice President Harris and Governor Walz have done effectively is to rebuild the coalition,” remarked Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro at a Bloomberg News roundtable during the Democratic convention.

Shapiro praised Harris’s choice to visit the western parts of Pennsylvania, stating that addressing local issues there inspires hope and optimism among constituents.

Trump continues to push his familiar trade protectionism message in the Rust Belt, a region struggling with job losses as manufacturing has increasingly moved overseas. The northern swing states contain a significant population of white working-class voters who have responded well to Trump’s economic and immigration rhetoric.

At his recent rally in a Michigan steel plant, Trump vowed to revive the American auto industry, traditionally based in Detroit.

“We’re going to restore auto workers’ jobs to what they were 30 years ago,” he declared.

The influential United Auto Workers union has endorsed Harris, prompting Trump to criticize the union’s president during his rally. He also invited an autoworker to the stage who created a Facebook group called “Autoworkers for Trump 2024.”

Trump secured Michigan by a narrow margin of 10,704 votes in 2016, while Biden won by 154,000 votes in 2020.

Michigan Republican Party chair Pete Hoekstra noted that the current atmosphere in Michigan feels much like it did in 2016.

During his 2016 campaign, Trump strongly opposed NAFTA, which helped him connect with blue-collar voters.

“We were seeing a lot of interest from union and UAW workers back then, leading to our success,” Hoekstra said, reflecting on 2016.

After renegotiating NAFTA as president, Trump now promises to impose additional tariffs and targets the Biden-Harris administration’s push for electric vehicles, claiming it threatens the auto industry. He vows to change the federal government’s direction if he wins.

Hoekstra labeled this issue as a “powerful” topic in Michigan, highlighting its appeal to union workers, whom he sees as critical swing voters in 2024.

“In 2016, we outperformed expectations with these voters,” Hoekstra added. “We lost some to ‘Union Joe in 2020,’ but we plan to win them back.”

On the other hand, Trump’s campaign spokeswoman for battleground states, Rachel Reisner, argues that Harris’ past views are not favorable among blue-collar Americans, highlighting her previous opposition to fracking for oil and gas — a stance she has since changed — along with rising inflation and undocumented immigration issues during the Biden administration.

“Her record has been detrimental to working-class America,” Reisner commented.

In her recent visits, Harris has emphasized her commitment to the economy and received support from the auto workers union. She has pledged to combat price-fixing in grocery markets if elected and expand tax credits for middle-class families.

Harris highlights her decisive vote on legislation aimed at lowering prescription drug prices, which Republicans are currently seeking to overturn. She also announced that, pending congressional approval, she would provide first-time homebuyers with $25,000 in aid to assist with down payments.

According to her, Trump intends to provide tax incentives to the rich, and she has compared his suggested tariffs on foreign goods to a national sales tax.

Harris is backed by numerous influential unions, such as the National Education Association, the United Steel Workers, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, along with the Culinary Union in Nevada.

During her speeches in labor-friendly settings, she frequently references Biden, who had significant support from unions before he exited the race.

After recalling his presence on the picket line in Michigan last fall, Biden was welcomed at the DNC with shouts of “Union Joe.”

However, he faced challenges during the Michigan primary due to voters being undecided about his support for military aid to Israel amidst its conflict with Hamas in Gaza. In response, Harris dispatched her campaign manager to Michigan in August to engage in discussions with Arab American and Muslim leaders.

During the DNC, Representative Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California, remarked that Harris has “the chance to start anew” regarding the Middle East policy as the nominee.

“I am optimistic about Michigan. I believe that Pennsylvania and Wisconsin present greater challenges,” said Khanna, representing the Harris campaign. “She has to tackle it all.”

To succeed in those states, Khanna emphasized, “We need to focus on economic issues.”

“We need to show that we are the party that will revitalize American industries and empower the working and middle-class populace.”

Trump was recently in Wisconsin for a town hall meeting alongside Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic Congresswoman from Hawaii who has endorsed him.

Another ex-Democrat, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has also recently backed Trump. His campaign is highlighting these endorsements in swing states as evidence of their outreach to a diverse voter base.

The Republicans hosted their convention in Milwaukee, and in an attempt to counter Trump during the Democrats’ convention, Harris organized a rally at the same venue. Walz, from Minnesota, which is adjacent to Wisconsin, has easy access for frequent visits during the final campaign phase.

Harris is leveraging Biden’s popularity in that region as he is scheduled for an official visit on Thursday after maintaining a low profile for some weeks.

Hillary Clinton’s failure to campaign in Wisconsin in 2016 remains a cautionary tale for several of Harris’ senior staff. In contrast, Biden won the state in 2020, successfully reclaiming the blue wall.

“Wisconsin produces beer, cheese, sausages, and presidents. Our ticket is well aware of this. Our supporters understand it, and the Republicans recognize it too – that’s why they held the Republican National Convention in Wisconsin,” argued Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Ben Wikler. “As Trump stated, if we win Wisconsin, we win everything.”

Campaigns emphasize financial resources, offices, and workforce

Harris’ campaign promotes its substantial financial resources, boasting a war chest of $540 million alongside significant early investments in staffing and office locations.

“We are positioned to actively and vigorously engage across all critical battlegrounds. In contrast, the Trump campaign has not,” remarked Kanninen, the battleground states director for the Harris-Walz campaign.

According to the campaign, Harris has established over 312 offices and employed 2,000 staff members in battleground states, in addition to a $150 million television ad investment made in August. Harris’ campaign claims to have $370 million allocated for TV and digital advertising following Labor Day.

The Trump campaign states it has “hundreds” of paid workers in battleground states and nearly 400 Republican offices supported by his campaign, although they did not clarify how many of these were newly established or pre-existing.

James Blair, the political director for Trump’s campaign, shared on X that there are 21,000 trained “Trump Force 47 Captains” active in these areas, referencing the campaign’s volunteer initiative.

Kanninen mentioned that while Trump has been busy battling 34 felony charges in court, Democrats have been organizing a strong operation, which Harris took over from Biden.

“I understand they claim to build some paid structure at the end. However, that is typically not very effective compared to an organization led by volunteers that has time to forge connections and trust, which is exactly what we’ve been developing,” he explained.

A significant portion of Trump’s get-out-the-vote initiative is managed by external conservative organizations, which diverges from traditional norms and limits the campaign’s direct oversight.

Hoekstra from the Michigan GOP expressed that while he may not maintain authority over these groups, he views greater participation among various organizations in the GOTV effort positively and holds confidence in their leadership.

“These are capable individuals,” he commented. “I plan to stay in touch with them as much as legally permissible, but I’ll allow them autonomy as they are skilled professionals.”