The joy of six: where swingers hold sway

WASHINGTON: The November 3 US election is boiling down to a handful of key states that will decide the race between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Here’s how they stand: Pennsylvania: Mr Biden’s birth state is the largest at play in the Rust Belt. Pennsylvania’s big cities will vote heavily for Mr Biden, while its rural regions will go for Mr Trump.

RCP poll: Biden by 5.6% Michigan: The Great Lakes state in the north narrowly tipped for Mr Trump in 2016 and is being fiercely contested this year. The President has visited Michigan to argue he is ushering in an economic recovery and to press his law and order credentials, but voters are concerned about the impact of the coronavirus. RCP: Biden by 7.2% Wisconsin: Hillary Clinton opted against campaigning in America’s dairyland in 2016, and voters punished her for it. This year, Democrats have flocked to the state to try to win it back.

RCP: Biden by 6.3% Florida: The largest of the swing states anchors the Sun Belt, the band of states across the US south and southwest that are rapidly growing in population. Republicans are mounting a fierce defence here, but several Democrats are accusing them of suppressing the vote, particularly in communities of colour.

RCP: Biden by 1.4% North Carolina: This traditionally conservative state went to Mr Trump by three points in 2016, but both parties say it is now too close to call. RCP: Biden by 2.7% Arizona: The southern state has been a Republican stronghold for decades, but its electorate is changing, with a growing Latino community and an influx of more liberal Californians. Conservatives back Mr Trump’s efforts to restrict immigration. RCP: Biden by 4.0%