Election 2024 live updates: Trump and Harris enter final full campaign week

What happens in the coming days will be pivotal in deciding the winner. Here’s a few things we’re watching:

1. Will wars in the Middle East shift the focus?

It’s still unclear how Iran would respond to Israel’s unusually public airstrikes across Iran on Friday. The answer could determine whether the region spirals further toward all-out war or holds steady at an already devastating and destabilizing level of violence.

2. Will Harris’ closing message harness Democrats’ anxiety?

Harris will try to alleviate Democratic anxiety on Tuesday when she delivers her “closing argument” at the Ellipse, the same spot near the White House where Trump spoke on Jan. 6, 2021 shortly before his supporters attacked the Capitol.

3. Can Trump stay on message (relatively speaking)?

And with eight days to go until Election Day, history suggests Trump is virtually guaranteed to say or do something else controversial in the final stretch. The only question is whether it will break through.

4. Where will they go?

The candidates’ evolving travel schedules will tell us much about the battlegrounds that will matter most on Election Day.

5. Will the early voting surge continue?

More than 41 million votes have already been cast in the election nationwide. Democrats generally have an advantage in early voting, but so far, at least, Republicans are participating at a much higher rate than they have in the past.

6. How hard will Trump work to undermine election results?

History may one day decide that the most significant thing Trump said in the closing days of the 2024 election is the thing that many voters barely notice anymore: his persistent warnings that this election is rigged against him.

▶ Read more about what to watch in the final days of the campaign