The crucial battleground state hosts the first and only presidential debate between Harris and Trump.

The Trump-Harris confrontation is occurring in a crucial general election battleground state of Pennsylvania.

The crucial battleground state hosts the first and only presidential debate between Harris and Trump.
The crucial battleground state hosts the first and only presidential debate between Harris and Trump.

Pennsylvania serves as the fitting location for Tuesday night's debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump, as it is a crucial general election battleground state.

The first and possibly only debate between Harris and Trump will take place at 9 p.m. ET at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, the largest city in the Keystone State.

This summer, both candidates made stops in Pennsylvania, one of the seven crucial swing states that decided the 2020 election between Trump and Biden. Pennsylvania, along with Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, and Nevada, will likely determine who wins the White House in November.

Kamala Harris during campaign event
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event at IBEW Local Union #5 on Sept. 2, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

In the seven battleground states, campaigns and their allied super PACs are investing heavily. However, more money has been spent on Pennsylvania spots than any other state. Additionally, both sides have reserved more airtime in Pennsylvania than any other battleground state in the final eight weeks before Election Day on November 5, according to AdImpact, a leading national ad tracking firm.

"According to Mark Harris, a Pittsburgh-based longtime Republican national strategist and ad maker, the state that it's difficult to see someone losing and then still winning the presidential race is "clearly ground zero.""

According to a veteran of multiple GOP presidential campaigns, it is evident from media reservations and the candidates' travel schedules that both the Trump and Harris campaigns consider this situation a must-win.

Trump at a campaign rally
Former President Trump speaks during a rally at the Cambria County War Memorial, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Aug. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Droke)

According to Mike Butler, a Democratic consultant from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has the greatest impact on the White House race compared to any other state.

In addition to the top of the ticket campaigning in Pennsylvania, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democrats' vice presidential nominee, and Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, Trump's running mate, have also made numerous stops in the state.

The "Blue Wall" in the Rust Belt region comprises Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, which are all Democratic states.

For 25 years, the party consistently won all three states until Trump narrowly captured them in the 2016 election, securing his victory in the White House.

In 2020, Biden won all three states by narrow margins, defeating Trump and returning them to the Democrats' fold.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump

In the present day, Pennsylvania's presidential race between Harris and Trump is still a toss-up, according to the latest public opinion surveys in the state.

""It's going to be a tight race, but I think Trump has some advantages," Harris said."

In the past two presidential elections, Pennsylvania had razor-thin margins. However, Butler believes that Trump's numbers are solid and he won't fare any worse than he did in the previous elections, making it a competitive state.

ABC debate prep in Philadelphia
ABC News signage is installed in the media file center inside the Pennsylvania Convention Center one day before the presidential debate on Sept. 9, 2024, in Philadelphia. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The National Constitution Center, which opened 21 years ago and is located on the north end of Independence Mall in Philadelphia's Old City neighborhood, has hosted a presidential debate before.

The venue hosted a 2008 Democratic presidential primary debate.

by Paul Steinhauser

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