US Presidential Election 2024: What key issues are driving the polls? Where do Harris and Trump stand on them?

2024 US Elections: In just a few weeks, on November 5, the United States of America will vote to elect its next president. 

The two top candidates in this vital race for the White House are the Democratic Party nominee, the current US Vice-president Kamala Harris, and the Republican Party nominee, former president Donald Trump.

The upcoming 2024 presidential elections are very important to both the candidates. On one hand, Kamala Harris has set her sights on becoming the USA's first-ever female president and on the other, Donald Trump is attempting to achieve a feat only accomplished once earlier in US history: regaining the White House after losing it.

Driving the 2024 US Presidential elections are a number of issues of importance to voters. Let's take a look at some of the key issues and where the two candidates stand on them.

Economy

Amid concerns about the US' state of economy and inflation, about eight in 10, or 81 per cent of the voters, as per Pew Research, say that the economy will be very significant to their vote in the upcoming election.

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Voters, as per reports, favour Trump on this issue and, according to News Gallup, 54 per cent in contrast to Harris's 45 per cent think he can better handle the American economy as the president.

Reproductive Rights and Abortion

One of the most contentious issues of the 2024 Presidential elections is abortion and reproductive rights of women.

A Pew Research poll found that while 67 per cent of Harris supporters view abortion as a key issue, only 35 per cent of Trump supporters share their view.

In 2022, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe V Wade, which gave women all over the nation the right to abortion. This happened largely due to justices appointed by Trump, a feat the Republican has boasted about multiple times.

Harris has been vocal about her support for bringing back the federal protections for a woman's right to an abortion as they existed under Roe v. Wade. Meanwhile, Trump, who at one time supported a national ban on the procedure, has softened his stance and now backs the individual state's right to choose.

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Immigration

A key issue and one of Trump's favourite topics, immigration, is important for 82 per cent of his supporters. Meanwhile, only 39 per cent of Harris supporters see it as vital to their vote.

Trump in his rally speeches and at the two debates — with President Joe Biden and Harris — has continued to vilify immigrants, calling them rapists, murderers, etc. Meanwhile, Harris, who has faced criticism for her immigration policies as the VP, has not detailed her position on the topic beyond voicing support for a border security bill.

Gun Policy

America is home to more guns than people, and they are to blame for a staggering number of deaths every year — over 48,000 in 2022, for example.

Despite the gun epidemic, i.e., the unbelievably high number of mishappening, and deaths due to guns, the Right to Bear arms remains a contentious issue.

For both Trump and Harris supporters, gun policies and/or gun rights are important. Among the supporters of the Republican candidate, 53 said the issue was key to them. 49 per cent of Harris supporters also share the sentiment.

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Donald Trump has been a vocal supporter of the Second Amendment right to bear arms, and has even positioned himself as a "defender" of the right. As the president, he loosened some restrictions on gun ownership, appointed around 200 federal judges who had "gun-friendly" records, and even ensured that gun sales would continue during the early COVID-19 lockdowns.

His running mate JD Vance even went as far as calling the tragic school shootings that have become very common "a fact of life". 

Harris, according to Scientific American, has a long history with the gun rights. During her career as a prosecutor, she supported stricter restrictions on gun ownership, as well as stronger enforcement of existing regulations. As a senator, she worked on legislation that would've mandated universal background checks. As a VP, she and Biden introduced US' first sweeping gun legislation in nearly three decades that enforced stronger background checks, and included a measure to keep guns away from domestic abuse offenders.