LAUREN FRAYER, HOST:
Election Day is a little more than a week away. Both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are making their closing arguments in what's shaping up to be an extremely close race for the White House. For a look at how the candidates are spending their final days on the campaign trail, we're joined now by NPR's Luke Garrett. Hi, Luke.
LUKE GARRETT, BYLINE: Hey, Lauren. Thanks for having me.
FRAYER: Thanks for coming. Luke, the former president is holding a rally in Madison Square Garden with just nine days left until the election. Does he think he will win New York? What's his strategy?
GARRETT: Yes, Trump does think he can win New York, and he said so at a September rally in Long Island.
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DONALD TRUMP: And the reason I'm here is because hasn't been done in many decades. It hasn't been done for a long time, but we are going to win New York.
GARRETT: In 2016 and 2020, the former president lost the Empire State by around 23 percentage points, and the latest polling average puts him 15 points behind Harris. Nonetheless, the Trump campaign is pouring a lot of resources and star power into tonight's rally at Madison Square Garden.
FRAYER: So why invest so heavily in this event if New York isn't in play for Trump?
GARRETT: Well, a look at tonight's guest list gives us some clues as to why. House Speaker Mike Johnson and New York Representative Elise Stefanik are joining Trump on stage tonight. Republicans won a handful of races between Long Island and Syracuse during the midterms in 2022 - victories that narrowly won them control of the U.S. House. This year, five New York Republicans are defending their seats in really tough races against Democrats. So while Trump may not win New York, his campaign is working hard to keep Republicans in control of the House.
FRAYER: OK, let's pivot to the Democrats. How is Harris spending her final week on the campaign trail?
GARRETT: Today, Harris is traveling through Pennsylvania, arguably the most important swing state. Harris is meeting with Black church congressional - congregations in West Philadelphia, part of the campaigns Souls to the Polls effort. The Vice President is also spending a lot of time at neighborhood barbershops to speak directly with young, Black men, a voting bloc that the Harris campaign is really counting on. Polls show that young, Black men are increasingly curious and supportive of Trump and his campaign. Cochair of the Harris-Walz campaign, Cedric Richmond, tells NPR that he expects Black men to coalesce around Harris because of her economic vision. Richmond says Black men will decide this election.
CEDRIC RICHMOND: And the message to African American men, Black men, is that hey, you have a chance right here to take your future in your own hand, to determine what you want. And because you're such a key voting bloc and because this race is going to be tight, you have an opportunity here to be difference-makers and to determine who wins this campaign.
GARRETT: And Harris is holding a rally in Philadelphia tonight. And on Tuesday, Harris will deliver her closing arguments at The Ellipse on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The rally will be held at the same location where Trump spurred a march on the U.S. Capitol that turned into a riot on January 6, 2021. The Vice President will focus on, quote, "turning the page and moving the country forward," according to her campaign.
FRAYER: Luke, in these final days of the presidential campaign, what stands out most for you?
GARRETT: Both Harris and Trump have so little time left to get in front of voters, present their vision for the future and then motivate Americans to take time to cast the ballot. So in these final days, it's time to go big or go home. The Harris campaign is doing this with rallies featuring superstars like Beyonce and Bruce Springsteen, all in the hopes of getting out the vote. For their part, the Trump campaign is making noise tonight with their rally at Madison Square Garden, a place marked with political history. In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave one of his most important speeches at the New York venue when he rallied against the establishment. Three years later, nearly 20,000 gathered there for a pro-Hitler rally in 1939. And in 1962, Marilyn Monroe sang happy birthday to 45-year-old President John F. Kennedy.
FRAYER: Wow, a lot of history there. That's NPR's Luke Garrett. Thanks so much.
GARRETT: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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