• Kamala Harris leads Donald Trump 47%-44% in a new Iowa poll, a state that has been trending Republican.
• Both parties focus their final campaign efforts on battleground states, with Harris emphasizing new leadership and Trump escalating claims of voter fraud.
• Control of Congress is also at stake in this election, with over 77 million Americans having already cast their votes.
• The election outcome remains uncertain, potentially leading to legal battles and recounts similar to the 2000 U.S. presidential election.

In a surprising turn of events, U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has taken a lead over Republican Donald Trump in a new poll in Iowa. The poll, conducted by the Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa, surveyed 808 likely voters between October 28 and 31.

The results showed Harris leading Trump 47%-44% in Iowa, a state that has been trending deeply Republican in recent years. This shift is largely attributed to the support of women voters, particularly older women and politically independent women.

This is a significant development considering Trump's victories in Iowa in the 2016 and 2020 elections, where he won by more than 9 percentage points and 8 points respectively. However, the Trump campaign has dismissed the Des Moines Register poll as a clear outlier, pointing to an Emerson College poll that showed Trump leading Harris by 10 points.

The Emerson College poll, conducted among a similar number of likely voters between November 1 and 2, showed Trump with strong leads over Harris among men and independents. Harris, on the other hand, was performing well with voters under the age of 30. The race for the White House between Harris and Trump is seen as a tight one nationally, with early voting already well underway.

Final Campaign Efforts in Battleground States

In the final days of their campaigns, both parties have been focusing their efforts on battleground states such as North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Harris made her closing pitch for the U.S. presidency at a historically Black church and to Arab Americans in Michigan, while Trump embraced violent rhetoric at a rally in Pennsylvania.

Harris, during her rally, emphasized the need for a new generation of leadership in America, vowing to fight for the people and make healthcare a right, not a privilege. She also pledged to do everything in her power to end the war in Gaza, a statement that was met with applause. However, she faces skepticism from some who are frustrated that she has not done more to help end the war in Gaza and scale back aid to Israel.

Trump, on the other hand, has been escalating his unfounded claims of voter fraud. He stated that he shouldn't have left the White House after his 2020 election loss, which he has not conceded. He also suggested that election results should be announced on Election Night, despite warnings by officials in multiple states that it could take days to ascertain the final outcome.

Historical Parallels and the Road Ahead

The election is not just about the presidency. Control of Congress is also up for grabs, with Republicans favored to capture a majority in the Senate while Democrats are seen as having an even chance of flipping Republicans' narrow majority in the House of Representatives.

In the midst of this heated political climate, more than 77 million Americans have already cast their votes ahead of Tuesday's Election Day. This is approaching half the total 160 million votes cast in 2020, which saw the highest U.S. voter turnout in more than a century.

As the election draws near, both candidates are making their final pushes in battleground states. Harris is focusing on Michigan, where she risks losing the support of a 200,000-strong Arab-American community due to the U.S. handling of the Israel-Hamas war. Trump, meanwhile, is centering his efforts on Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia -- the three biggest swing-state prizes in the Electoral College system.

This election is reminiscent of the 2000 U.S. presidential election, where the result was not clear for over a month due to a recount in Florida. The Supreme Court eventually halted the recount, leading to George W. Bush's victory over Al Gore. The current election could potentially see similar legal battles and recounts, given the tight race and the high number of mail-in ballots due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the 2024 U.S. presidential election enters its final stages, the outcome remains uncertain. With Harris leading in Iowa and Trump's unfounded claims of voter fraud, the world watches with bated breath to see who will emerge victorious. The election results will not only determine the next U.S. president but also shape the political landscape of the country for the next four years.