What are the key issues for voters in swing states that could decide the election?

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(WASHINGTON) — All eyes will be on swing states as votes are counted in the race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

Both candidates criss-crossed the seven key states — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — and worked to woo undecided voters and connect with them on the issues that resonate most with them.

While voters in these battleground states share the same concerns as the rest of America, there are some issues that stand out as top concerns for their residents — the economy reigning supreme as a key voter issue with just days until Election Day .

It’s the economy

“Problem no. 1 is the same as always, that is, it is the economy. And of course the economy has many dimensions. We’ve got growth, we’ve got unemployment, we’ve got consumer confidence and, of course, inflation,” said Todd Belt, director of George Washington University’s political management program.

When it comes to the economy, 44 percent of Americans say they are not as well off now as when President Joe Biden took office, matching the most negative number on that question since 1986, according to a recent ABC News report. Survey / Plaster.

What’s more, while inflation has eased and employment is strong, those gains haven’t hit home for most people: 59% say the economy is getting worse, more than twice as many say it’s getting better (23%) . And among registered voters who say the economy is getting worse, Trump leads Harris by 53 points, 74-21 percent.

An analysis of 538 polls found that virtually all swing states ranked the economy as a top issue for voters — some for different reasons. Still, Belt said the economy is “the No. 1 issue. 1 wherever you go”.

In Nevada, its economy, to a unique degree, depends on the hospitality industry — making the economy a top issue for voters in that state. Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, accounts for about 75 percent of the state’s population — and a significant number of hospitality workers. Likely because of these factors, Nevada voters ranked the economy as the most important issue facing their state, according to the 538 poll analysis.

House prices, fracking, immigration

Housing affordability is another top issue for voters in swing states like Nevada and North Carolina, where home prices have been rising.

North Carolina’s median home price rose from $193,200 in the 2017-2019 survey to $280,600 in the 2020-22 survey, the nation’s seventh-highest percentage increase, according to the American Community Survey. And in Nevada, the home value index has risen 34 percent since the start of the Biden presidency, slightly faster than the national growth rate, according to Zillow.

The cost of groceries, gas and housing resonates with voters in several swing states, Belt added.

“The problem of the economy, of course, has to do with the affordability of life. This is what we call, you know, our kitchen table, pocketbook problem,” Belt said. “They have to deal with food, gas. And, of course, what people have commented on most of all is the cost of housing.”

In Pennsylvania’s battleground, fracking is a big local issue, and it has both economic and environmental ties.

Immigration is another top issue for many voters in swing states — especially those in the Sun Belt. Arizona, a border state, was a regular campaign stop for Trump and Harris, who often discussed immigration while there. It’s also top of mind for voters in Nevada — a state where Hispanics and Latinos are the largest minority group at 28 percent of the population.

“People have (immigration) on their minds because it’s been promoted as a big issue in the media,” Belt said.

Trump has used immigration to bash Harris’ immigration policies, blaming her for the border situation while latching onto his inaccurate reference to her as the “border czar.”

Immigration is often tied to other key issues, such as crime, Belt noted — a tactic Trump used on the campaign trail.

Despite the fact that US citizens commit crimes at higher rates than undocumented immigrants, Trump painted them as “criminals” who will “cut your throat” at a campaign stop in Wisconsin in September. Also, while in Tempe, Arizona last week, Trump criticized the Biden-Harris administration for its handling of the border, calling the United States “a garbage can for the world.”

Abortion

Abortion is a key voter issue after the Supreme Court in 2022 rejected Roe vs. Wade, which ensured the constitutional right to abortion. The Supreme Court decision, in which Trump often brags about his role, is an issue Democrats have taken up this cycle.

“Democrats think this is the kryptonite for Republicans in the last two elections,” Belt said.

Abortion remains a rallying issue among Democrats who managed to avoid a “red tide” during the 2022 midterms by focusing their messaging around it. Harris’ campaign says reproductive freedom is still one of the top issues among undecided voters.

Several states, including battlegrounds Arizona and Nevada, have ballot measures that would amend their constitutions with specific language to protect or recognize abortion rights for all voters.

Polls show abortion is a bigger issue in Wisconsin than it is nationally, according to analysis of the poll by 538. The legal status of abortion was hotly contested in the state after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, leading to a period of 15 months. in which abortions were not legal in the state under an 1849 law that criminalized abortion.

Even with other issues on the radar of swing states, Belt noted that both Harris and Trump are working to tie their messaging to the economy.

“You’ll see candidates like Donald Trump talk about how immigration affects the economy and jobs,” he said. “And so there are these ancillary issues that they’re trying to push, but they’re also tying them to the economy, because they know that’s what voters care about the most.”