In the United States, the 2024 presidential election has entered a crucial stage. On Friday evening, Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump separately traveled to Arizona and Montana to kick off campaign activities in a bid to garner support from Western voters.
After nominating Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, Harris wasted no time in embarking on a campaign tour, focusing on rallying in seven swing states.
On Friday, Harris held a campaign rally in Arizona and secured the endorsement of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). This marks the first time the Latino civil rights organization has endorsed a presidential candidate.
Similarly in the American West, Trump held a campaign rally in Bozeman, Montana on Friday. Although Montana is not a battleground state, this campaign could potentially flip several current Democratic Senate seats, thus determining which party will control the U.S. Senate in 2025.
Republican businessman Tim Sheehy, endorsed by Trump, delivered a speech at the rally. In the next federal Senate election, he will go head-to-head against Democratic Senator John Tester.
Due to a plane malfunction, the aircraft Trump was traveling on had to divert to another airport in Montana for a safe landing, causing a delay of about an hour and a half to the original speech schedule.
According to AdImpact data, Trump’s campaign team spent $37.2 million on TV ads on Friday, marking the largest single-day ad spend of this election cycle. These ads will air in seven battleground states.
Furthermore, the first presidential debate between Harris and Trump is set to take place on September 10th. At that time, the two will face off for the first time in a debate on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC).