America reaches Election Day and a stark choice between Trump and Harris

WASHINGTON (AP) — A statesmanlike run marked by upheaval and rancor approached its finale connected Election Day arsenic Americans decided whether to nonstop Donald Trump backmost to nan White House aliases elevate Kamala Harris to nan Oval Office.

Polls opened crossed nan federation Tuesday greeting arsenic voters faced a stark prime betwixt 2 candidates who person offered drastically different temperaments and visions for nan world’s largest system and ascendant subject power.

Harris, nan Democratic vice president, stands to beryllium nan first female president if elected. She has promised to activity crossed nan aisle to tackle economical worries and different issues without radically departing from nan people group by President Joe Biden. Trump, nan Republican erstwhile president, has vowed to switch thousands of national workers pinch loyalists, enforce sweeping tariffs connected friends and foes alike, and shape nan largest deportation cognition successful U.S. history.

The 2 candidates spent nan waning hours of nan campaign overlapping successful Pennsylvania, nan biggest battleground state. They were trying to energize their bases arsenic good arsenic Americans still connected nan obstruction aliases debating whether to ballot astatine all.

“It’s important, it’s my civic work and it’s important that I ballot for myself and I ballot for nan populist and nan state which I supported for 22 years of my life,” said Ron Kessler, 54, an Air Force seasoned from Pennsylvania who said he was voting for conscionable nan 2nd time.

Harris and Trump entered Election Day focused connected 7 battleground states, 5 of them carried by Trump successful 2016 earlier flipping to Biden successful 2020: nan “blue wall” of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin arsenic good arsenic Arizona and Georgia. Nevada and North Carolina, which Democrats and Republicans respectively carried successful nan past 2 elections, besides were intimately contested.

The closeness of nan title and nan number of states successful play raised nan likelihood that erstwhile again a victor mightiness not beryllium known connected predetermination night. There was 1 early harbinger from nan New Hampshire hamlet of Dixville Notch, which by contented votes aft midnight connected Election Day. Dixville Notch divided betwixt Trump and Harris, pinch 3 votes for each.

In nan 2020 statesmanlike title it took 4 days to state a winner. Regardless, Trump has baselessly claimed that if he lost, it would beryllium owed to fraud. Harris’ run was preparing for him to try to state victory earlier a victor is known connected Tuesday nighttime aliases to effort to title nan consequence if she wins. Four years ago, Trump launched an effort to overturn nan voters’ will that ended successful nan Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection astatine nan U.S. Capitol.

Trump planned to ballot successful his adopted location authorities of Florida connected Tuesday, past walk nan time astatine his Mar-a-Lago property successful beforehand of a statement astatine a adjacent normal center. Harris already voted by message successful her location authorities of California. She’ll person a watch statement astatine her alma mater, Howard University successful Washington.

Each campaigner would return nan state into caller terrain

Harris, 60, would beryllium nan first woman, Black female and personification of South Asian descent to service arsenic president. She besides would beryllium nan first sitting vice president to triumph nan White House successful 32 years.

A triumph would headdress a whirlwind run dissimilar immoderate different successful American history. Harris ascended to nan apical of nan Democratic ticket little than 4 months agone aft Biden, facing monolithic unit from his statement aft a disastrous statement performance, ended his reelection bid.

Trump, 78, would beryllium nan oldest president ever elected. He would besides beryllium nan first defeated president successful 132 years to triumph different word successful nan White House, and nan first personification convicted of a felony to return complete nan Oval Office.

Having left Washington abandoned by immoderate friends aft Jan. 6, Trump defeated younger rivals successful nan Republican superior and consolidated nan support of longtime friends and harsh critics wrong his party. He survived 1 assassination attempt by millimeters astatine a July rally. Secret Service agents foiled a 2nd attempt successful September.

A triumph for Trump would affirm that capable voters put speech warnings from galore of Trump’s erstwhile aides aliases alternatively prioritized concerns astir Biden and Harris’ stewardship of nan system aliases nan U.S.-Mexico border.

It would each but guarantee he avoids going to situation after being recovered guilty of his domiciled successful hiding hush-money payments to an big movie character during his first tally for president successful 2016. His sentencing successful that lawsuit could hap later this month. And upon taking office, Trump could end nan national investigation into his effort to overturn nan 2020 predetermination results.

The predetermination has immense stakes for America and nan world

The imaginable turbulence of a 2nd Trump word has been magnified by his clasp of nan Republican Party’s acold correct and his disregard for long-held antiauthoritarian norms.

Trump has utilized harsh rhetoric against Harris and different Democrats, calling them “demonic,” and has suggested subject action against people he calls “enemies from within.”

Harris, pointing to nan warnings of Trump’s erstwhile aides, has branded him a “fascist” and blamed Trump for putting women’s lives successful threat by nominating 3 of nan justices who overturned Roe v. Wade. In nan closing hours of nan campaign, she tried to onslaught a much affirmative reside and went nan full past time Monday without saying her Republican opponent’s name.

Heading into Election Day, federal, authorities and section officials expressed assurance successful nan integrity of nan nation’s predetermination systems. They nevertheless were braced to contend pinch what they opportunity is an unprecedented level of overseas disinformation — peculiarly from Russia and Iran — arsenic good arsenic nan anticipation of beingness unit aliases cyberattacks.

Both sides person armies of lawyers successful anticipation of ineligible challenges connected and aft Election Day. And rule enforcement agencies nationwide are connected precocious alert for imaginable violence.

The result of nan title was being intimately watched astir nan world, pinch nan early of American support for Ukraine, U.S. fidelity to its world alliances and nan nation’s committedness to guidelines up to autocrats hanging successful nan balance.

Harris has vowed to proceed backing Kyiv’s defense against Russia’s full-scale 2022 invasion. Trump has sharply criticized Ukraine, praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and suggested he would promote Russia to onslaught NATO allies of nan U.S. that Trump considers delinquent.

Voters nationwide besides were deciding thousands of different races that will determine everything from power of Congress to authorities ballot measures connected abortion access.

More than 82 cardinal people voted early — awkward of nan grounds group during nan 2020 pandemic, erstwhile Trump encouraged Republicans to instrumentality to voting connected Election Day. This time, he urged his voters to fastener down their ballots successful beforehand and they complied successful droves.

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Associated Press writers Jill Colvin successful Palm Beach, Florida, Darlene Superville and Eric Tucker successful Washington, and Marc Levy successful Allentown, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.