These states will decide the election. We visited all of them to talk to voters
Just a handful of states will decide the 2024 presidential election.
NPR’s Morning Edition and All Things Considered visited seven of them to speak to voters and explore the issues that matter most to them — and gauge how these states are likely to swing in 2024.
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Georgia
Week of Sept. 16
When President Joe Biden narrowly won Georgia, he was the first candidate at the top of the Democratic ticket to do so since 1992. The Harris-Walz campaign is pushing hard to win it again, while the GOP is mobilizing to win over essential voting blocs in areas like metro Atlanta. Without the 16 electoral college votes from this key state — which also became the focus of false election fraud claims — former president Donald Trump’s path to victory in 2024 narrows significantly.
LaTosha Brown at the Black Voters Matter office on Sept. 16, 2024. Lynsey Weatherspoon for NPR hide caption
tk Nydia Blas for NPR hide caption
Stickers sit on a table at a polling location on Nov. 8, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. Megan Varner/Getty Images hide caption
Georgia Republican Party chair Josh McKoon poses for a portrait in Atlanta. Nydia Blas for NPR hide caption
What the upcoming election looks like for Georgia GOP chairman Josh McKoon
Latrice Cushenberry, Eustacia McCloud Carter and Donna Smith Aranson pose for a portrait at Cafe Intermezzo in Atlanta, Georgia. Sept. 18, 2024. Nydia Blas for NPR hide caption
Nevada
Week of Sept. 23
Though a much smaller slice of the electoral college pie with six votes, the southwestern state could prove key as Election Day nears. Unlike Rust Belt states in the Midwest, Nevada has significantly larger non-white populations. About 40% of the state’s eligible voters are Latino, Black, or Asian American Pacific Islanders – all groups from whom Harris draws more support than Trump. However, concerns about costs of living, inflation and immigration could give the former president an edge.
Lauren Tuvell and James Watts with their dogs Xena and Desi (left to right) at their home in Downtown Las Vegas on Sept.24, 2024. Krystal Ramirez for NPR hide caption
Harris and Trump have different plans to solve the housing crisis. Could they work?
Folks enjoy the rides at the Pahrump Fall Festival in Pahrump, Nevada on Sept. 21, 2024. Krystal Ramirez for NPR hide caption
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., speaks during the Democratic National Convention Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago. Erin Hooley/AP hide caption
The Arts District in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sept.18, 2024 Krystal Ramirez for NPR hide caption
Nevada is a swing state so what issues matter most to voters there?
Wisconsin
Week of Sept. 30
Wisconsin is, as the state Democratic party chair puts it, “the land of the nail-biter.” The presidential vote has been decided by less than 1% in nearly every election this century. And when 20,000 votes can tip a state of almost 6 million people, any group of voters could make the difference. Vice President Kamala Harris is hoping Wisconsin will help her restore the Democrats’ “blue wall,” while former president Donald Trump aims to tear it down as he did in 2016.
Left: Barb Biggler spends an afternoon door-knocking in Walworth county to campaign for Vice President Harris. Right: Hilario Deleon is the Chairman of the Republican party of Milwaukee County. Keren Carrión/NPR hide caption
The Milwaukee Running Group — OMG meets up on a rainy morning in Milwaukee recently. Keren Carrión/NPR hide caption
Janine Collette is catching up with an old friend at the Packing House. Keren Carrión/NPR hide caption
A man lowers his head in reverence Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek, Wis. Angela Major/Wisconsin Public Radio hide caption
MADISON, WI - NOVEMBER 08: A voter casts their ballot at the Hillel Foundation on November 8, 2022 in Madison, Wisconsin. After months of candidates campaigning, Americans are voting in the midterm elections to decide close races across the nation. (Photo by Jim Vondruska/Getty Images) Jim Vondruska/Getty Images hide caption
Packers fans Heather Gunnlaugsson, left, and Tim Mahoney, right, dance as the Packer Tailgate Band plays “Roll Out the Barrel” on Sunday, Sept. 29, before the Packers’ game against the Minnesota Vikings in Green Bay, Wis. Angela Major/Wisconsin Public Radio hide caption
Michigan
Week of Oct. 7
Michigan voted reliably Democratic for decades until Trump won the Republican nomination in 2016. He delivered a major upset to then Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s campaign and carried the state, due largely to his appeal to white working-class voters. The state with 15 electoral votes is more diverse than others in the “blue wall” that are in play, which could favor Harris. But she has work to do with the state’s large Arab-American population and other young voters who have continually expressed disappointment at the Biden administration's handling of the war in Gaza.
People gather for the America First Republicans meeting, a group of Republicans aligned with the Trump wing of the party on Oct. 3, 2024 in Hillsdale, Mich. Sylvia Jarrus for NPR hide caption
Election workers in Michigan town are anxious after Trump recruits poll watchers
A Trump and Harris sign side-by-side in a neighborhood on Oct. 3, 2024 in Hillsdale, Mich. Sylvia Jarrus for NPR hide caption
It’s a close race for Michigan. These factors could decide it for Harris or Trump
A man votes in the 2022 midterm election. Bill Pugliano/Getty Images hide caption
Arizona
Week of Oct. 14
In recent history, Arizona has often supported Republican presidential candidates, including former president Donald Trump in 2016. But in 2020, Joe Biden flipped the state by a narrow margin. Now Arizona’s 11 electoral votes are up for grabs again. Both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have campaigned in the state, appealing to voters with messages focused on big national issues like the economy, immigration and abortion. How will those issues play out for an increasingly diverse and rapidly growing population?
Raquel and Rebeca Salas at their home in Phoenix, AZ, on Oct. 6, 2024. Keren Carrión/NPR hide caption
Kevin Jackson poses for a portrait in his vendor booth at the Phoenix Indian Center’s Gourd Dance and Social Powwow in the Steele Indian School Park in Phoenix, Ariz., on Oct. 12, 2024. Ash Ponders for NPR hide caption
Maria Barquin says La Campesina aims to uplift Latinos and show the value of their involvement in politics. Caitlin O'Hara/for NPR hide caption
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 11: Ballot drop off instructions are displayed near the entrance of the Maricopa County Elections Department on October 11, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. Early voting is underway in the state of Arizona ahead of the November 5th elections. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) Brandon Bell/Getty Images hide caption
A man votes in the 2022 midterm election. Bill Pugliano/Getty Images hide caption
Pennsylvania
Week of Oct. 21
With 19 electoral college votes — the most of any of the swing states — the Keystone State is arguably the main focus for both campaigns. The commonwealth voted reliably for the Democratic presidential nominee from 1992 until 2012. But former President Donald Trump’s populist message during the 2016 election season landed with many white-working class voters without college degrees. They make up about half of the state’s eligible voting population, and Trump continues to appeal to them. High turnout in Pennsylvania’s population centers — Pittsburgh and Philadelphia — could tip the state toward Harris.
Braddock, Pa., on Oct. 16, 2024. Nate Smallwood for NPR hide caption
Mary Mellinger, 61, left, and her husband, Andrew Mellinger, 63, stand together for a portrait with their goats on their farm in Ronks, PA, on Friday October 18 2024. Hannah Yoon for NPR hide caption
Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt, participates in an election forum, Sept. 19, in Ann Arbor, Mich. Carlos Osorio/AP hide caption
Pennsylvania's top elections official on conspiracies, the voting process and what to expect on election night
Why election results from the battleground state of Pennsylvania may take a while
U.S. Steel Edgar Thomson Works is seen in Braddock, Pa., on Oct. 16, 2024. Nate Smallwood for NPR hide caption
Houses across the Monongahela River are seen from Braddock, Pa., on Oct. 16, 2024. Nate Smallwood for NPR hide caption
North Carolina
Week of Oct. 21
North Carolina has been in Republican hands in presidential elections for the better part of the last half century, with the exception of Barack Obama carrying the state during his first run. But a changing population means that the Republican Party's dominance is no longer a given: Rapid growth in the Research Triangle has yielded an increase in white, college-educated voters; a sharp rise in the Latino and Asian American population; and about 1-in-5 voters is Black. Since 2008, the state has been decided, on average, by less than 2 points.
North Carolina State Fair. Andrea Ellen Reed for NPR hide caption
Pastor Chad Harvey. Andrea Ellen Reed for NPR hide caption
Canvassers, Andrea Farmer and Alex Cook, mark off homes they have visited on their app while canvassing in a neighbor in Nashville, NC on Oct. 22, 2024. Andrea Ellen Reed for NPR hide caption