Explainer
A Brief History of Swing States in Presidential Races
Voters cast their ballots during the first day of early voting at a polling station in Detroit, Michigan, on Oct. 19.
Photographer: Emily Elconin/BloombergThe US presidential election will likely be decided by a only few thousand voters in a handful of what have come to be known as swing states.
In most places, there’s little doubt about whether Democrat Kamala Harris or Republican Donald Trump will win the state’s Electoral College votes, even before the polls open. That’s why the Harris and Trump campaigns spend the bulk of their time and money on just a small number of states where the race is truly competitive.