Biden steps aside: Harris emerges as a critical challenger to Trump

Elections in the USA are entering another phase. Joe Biden has decided not to seek re-election and has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who could become the official Democratic candidate. The latest poll shows she has a better chance than Biden in a match-up against Donald Trump.

The Democrats plan to hold their election convention on August 19 in Chicago. At this convention, Joe Biden was supposed to receive—and officially accept—the nomination as the party's candidate for the November presidential elections.

This nomination will likely go to Vice President Kamala Harris, who will be replacing Joe Biden. The sitting president of the United States announced that he will not seek re-election. Shortly after this information, campaign donations for the Democrats surpassed 72 million CAD. This is not the end of contributions to the Democratic Party. In the last 24 hours, another 117 million CAD was donated.

According to the latest Echelon Insights poll, Kamala Harris has closed in on Donald Trump by 2 percentage points. The Republican candidate is leading 49:47. Meanwhile, members of the Democratic Party are pushing for a swift confirmation of Harris's candidacy, who, according to the respondents, has the best chance among all Democrats in a face-off with Trump.

Additionally, a vast majority of poll participants (72%) believe that violence in politics is a significant problem.

According to the polling platform Polymarket, Donald Trump's chances of returning to the presidency stand at 64%. Kamala Harris's chances are pegged at 32%. The remaining 4% includes the chances of Michelle Obama and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Kamala Harris still does not have the official nomination).

According to Polymarket data, Republicans are projected to win in six so-called swing states: Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan. This would give Trump an additional 77 electoral votes (there are 538 electors in total).