The path to the presidency

For Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, there are only a handful of states that really matter in this race where either candidate can build their path to the presidency. To win the White House, they need 270 Electoral College votes. And for campaign strategists on both sides, working out their winning combination starts by mapping out the safe bets and likely wins. The states that because of demographics or candidate affiliations, among other things, historically tend to always vote the same way, and that is most of them. It leaves us with seven so-called swing states still in play, also known as purple states because they swing between Republican red and Democrat blue. And it's in these places where this election will be decided. Those are the states of Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. And here's the thing, neither candidate needs to take all of them for victory. So what winning combinations could work for them? Let's look first at Donald Trump to reclaim the White House. One of his easiest routes would be to take back the states he lost to Joe Biden by the narrowest of margins in 2020, places like Georgia and Arizona. Add to that North Carolina, which Trump won in both 2016 and 2020, and he's almost there. It then comes down to just one win for him in any of these three states to get him over the line. All won by Trump in 2016 but retaken by Biden in 2020. Pennsylvania is arguably his main focus, the place where Joe Biden captured the presidency in 2020 with its 19 Electoral College votes. A win here would promise victory, or it could open up other routes for the former president if he doesn't win and say Georgia or North Carolina. OK, So what about Kamala Harris? How might she build her way to the White House through these 7 battleground states? Well, her best path to victory is probably through what are called the Blue wall states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Capture those and she'd hit exactly 270 for the win. But say the Democrats fail in the big state of Pennsylvania, Harris might look towards the swing states in the South, although this would be much harder for her. For example, Georgia, a state that turned blue for the first time since 1992 in the last election, could be instrumental again and potentially offering an alternative path to victory. If Harris wins here, she just need three more Electoral College votes. And even if Arizona and North Carolina turn red for Trump, Harris could take Nevada, where the race is even tighter. Although by this point, you'll notice the swing states are all tight to claim a narrow victory. So there you have it. It's messy and complicated. Whatever happens, we are guaranteed a very close race for the White House. And with the margins in these crucial swing states too close to call, it could take days before we know who will be the 47th president of the United States of America.