EXPLAINER: What you need to know about the 2024 US presidential election

WASHINGTON - The 2024 US presidential election is unlike any other before it.

The Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump, was convicted of a crime and faced two assassination attempts. The Democratic candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, rose to the top of the ticket after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race in July.

With just over three weeks until the Nov. 5 election, opinion polls show a tight race, including in the seven battleground states that will decide the contest.

Harris' candidacy re-energized the Democratic Party, sparking a surge in fundraising and enthusiasm from groups such as young voters, women and voters of color that Biden lacked. If elected, Harris, the daughter of a Jamaican father and a South Asian mother, would be the first woman and second person of color to serve as US president.

Harris, 59, is widely seen to have bested Trump, 78, in their combative Sept. 10 debate, putting him on the defensive with a stream of attacks about his fitness for office and myriad legal woes. But some likely voters say they still want to hear more about her policies and what her presidency would look like.

Trump, who served as president from 2017-2021, continues to have an advantage on the economy, a top voter concern. He also has maintained support among voters who prioritize a secure US border with Mexico.

Trump survived an attempt on his life during a July 13 rally in Pennsylvania, when a gunman's bullet grazed his ear. He was targeted a second time by an alleged assassin in September while playing golf on his private Florida course. The gunman was apprehended before any shots were fired.

In May, Trump became the first former president to be convicted of a crime when he was found guilty on 34 felony counts relating to a scheme to cover up an alleged affair with a porn star. He is due to be sentenced after the election.

Both candidates tapped relative political unknowns as their vice presidential running mates, with Harris selecting Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a former member of Congress, and Trump choosing first-term US Senator JD Vance of Ohio.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., 70, a scion of the prominent political family, had been running as an independent candidate, but he left the race in August and endorsed Trump.

Biden, 81, decided not to run for reelection after a faltering debate performance against Trump in June sparked concerns about his mental acuity and resulted in calls from party leaders and donors to exit the race.

Trump has refused to say he would abide by this year's election results, and he continues to falsely claim that Biden's victory over him in the 2020 election was fraudulent. His allies are laying the groundwork for a significant poll-watching effort and potential post-election legal challenges.

What is Harris' main electoral argument?

Since becoming the Democratic candidate, Harris has tried to draw sharp contrasts with Trump, positioning herself as a next-generation leader with an eye toward the future while casting him as an agent of “chaos.”

Harris has been able to draw a contrast as well with Biden, whom voters also viewed as someone who may have grown too old for the job.

On policy, however, she has largely stuck with Biden on issues such as the economy, the Gaza conflict, immigration and abortion rights.

Harris has put forth proposals that would cut taxes for a large swath of voters and pledged new investments in child care and healthcare. Polls show she has gained some ground on Trump on the economy.

However, inflation continues to be a sticking point after peaking in 2022. While the inflation rate has since eased, voters remain concerned about high prices for food and housing.

Harris has pointed to federal investments in infrastructure, clean energy and chip manufacturing that she says will generate long-term job growth.

What is Trump's main electoral argument?

Trump and his campaign contend Americans were better off economically during his time in the White House, pointing to inflation and high interest rates under Biden and Harris’ watch.

Trump has made tariffs and tax cuts the key elements of his economic pitch to voters. He has said he would cut federal spending, which Republicans blame for stoking inflation and triggering consumer price spikes, and trim back federal regulations.

Trump also has said he would revive stricter immigration policies from his time in office to stem the record flow of migrants into the US from Mexico, and would conduct mass deportations.

Trump has claimed, without providing evidence, that the influx of migrants has led to a rise in violent crime. Studies show immigrants are less likely to engage in criminality than native-born Americans.

As a rebuttal to charges that he is a danger to democracy, Trump has accused the Biden White House of weaponizing the Justice Department in order to prosecute him and prevent him from winning another term. The Justice Department says it acts without political bias.

On foreign policy, Trump embraces what he calls an "America First" agenda that seeks to avoid international entanglements. He has pledged to keep the country out of "forever wars" and claims he could end the Ukraine-Russia conflict within 24 hours.

Where do Harris and Trump stand on abortion?

Democrats have made abortion rights central to their 2024 campaign, two years after the Supreme Court – powered by a conservative majority that Trump installed – overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and ruled that abortion was not constitutionally protected.

Opinion polls show most Americans do not favor strict limits on reproductive rights, and Democrats are hoping threats to those rights will encourage millions of women and independents to vote their way this year.

Harris has argued for federal legislation that would restore the constitutional right to abortion.

Trump has said the matter should be left to individual states and that he does not support a national ban on the procedure. He supports exceptions for rape, incest and to protect the life of the mother.

At the June debate with Biden, Trump said he would "not block" access to abortion medication as president despite moves by some Republican-led states to restrict the use of the drugs.

Border security

Since 2021, the Biden administration has grappled with record numbers of migrants caught illegally crossing the US-Mexico border.

Harris was sent by Biden to serve as a liaison between the US and Central American nations that served as origin points for migration to the border. Republicans have attempted to cast her as a “border czar,” but she was never tasked with overseeing border-security efforts.

In June, as polls showed immigration to be a top issue for the election, Biden implemented a new series of restrictive security measures that permit the government to quickly deport or turn back migrants who enter the country illegally without allowing them to claim asylum.

The measures bore resemblance to Trump-era border policies, prompting criticism from liberals. But they have resulted in dramatically fewer border crossings.

In February, Trump urged congressional Republicans to back away from a bipartisan bill that gave his party many of the border-related measures it sought in order to avoid giving Biden a policy victory.

The Israel-Hamas conflict

Biden – and now Harris – have been heavily criticized by many Democrats for the administration’s steadfast support of Israel in its yearlong conflict with Hamas in Gaza.

The Biden administration has called for the Israeli government to temper its assault on Gaza, where more than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to health officials in the enclave. However, at the same time the Biden administration continues to supply Israel with military munitions.

Harris backs efforts to reach a ceasefire deal that would end the hostilities in exchange for a return of hostages taken on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants invaded southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, according to Israeli figures. But those efforts have been complicated by the expansion of the conflict into Lebanon.

Trump and Republicans also back Israel and have accused pro-Palestinian protesters of being antisemitic. But Trump has urged Israel to "finish up" the war or risk losing global support.

Where do Biden and Trump stand on China?

The Biden administration has said it wants to "de-risk" and not "de-couple" its relationship with China and work to keep the competition between the world's No. 1 and No. 2 economic powers from escalating into conflict. Even so, the White House in September imposed more tariffs on Chinese goods such as steel and aluminum products and EV batteries.

Biden has sworn to protect Taiwan from any Chinese attack.

Trump favors a policy of strategic ambiguity to deliberately create uncertainty about how the US would act if there was a Chinese invasion of the democratically governed island.

While some Republicans view China as a rising national security threat, Trump largely has characterized the Asian giant as an economic rival and has vowed to impose further tariffs on Chinese imports.

Where do they stand on Ukraine?

Biden and Harris have been a fierce advocate of providing weapons and other assistance to Ukraine in its war with Russia, while Trump has repeatedly expressed doubts about whether such aid is in the U.S. national interest.

Trump in April declined to lobby against passage of a $95 billion bipartisan aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan spearheaded by Republican House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, even as it was opposed by Trump's allies in Congress.

But at the September debate with Harris, Trump declined to say whether Ukraine should win the war and has since suggested it should have capitulated to Russia to prevent the invasion.

In February, Trump made waves when he suggested the US should not defend NATO countries that do not meet their obligations to contribute to their national defense.

What are the key states in the 2024 election?

Because many states vote dependably for Democrats or Republicans in presidential elections, the outcome usually rests on a handful of states where the election is truly competitive.

Polls show Trump and Harris are neck and neck in the seven swing states: Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina.

With 19 electoral votes, Pennsylvania is the biggest prize among the battleground states that will decide the election. —Reuters