On the final day of the presidential election campaign, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris went on a door-to-door campaign in Pennsylvania, while the Republican opponent Donald Trump also dedicated the last day of campaign to the state, considered crucial for the US polls. 


The state of Pennsylvania holds significance in the US elections as the swing state will seal the deal for Trump or Harris. Trump has held more than a dozen rallies in Pennsylvania, while Harris kept the focus on the state on the final day. 


Why Pennsylvania Is Crucial For US Elections?


In order to win the polls in the US, a candidate needs 270 of the electoral college votes. The results in seven states - Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia - will decide the next President.


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Pennsylvania, the fifth most populous state in the US, is considered a swing state and has 19 electoral votes, having more seats than any other battleground state. 


As per an assessment of the previous elections, 10 out of 12 US presidents have won Pennsylvania.
 
The White House candidate who has won Pennsylvania has also won the swing states of Michigan and Wisconsin in the past elections. In the final predictions ahead of the polling, the two rivals were locked in a tie, with both Trump and Harris getting 48 per cent of the votes.


Pennsylvania: Democratic Stronghold?


The Democrats enjoyed the support of voters in Pennsylvania since the 1980s until Trump became the first Republican to win the state in the 2016 Presidential Polls. 


However, US President Joe Biden, who is from Pennsylvania's Scranton, won back the state in 2020 polls, getting an edge against Trump.


Winning Pennsylvania is more crucial for Kamala Harris as no Democrat has won the White House without Pennsylvania since 1948. 


Indian-American Voters In Pennsylvania 


Pennsylvania has a large share of white and working-class voters; and is a white-dominated state, who have traditionally backed Republicans. There are 9 million registered voters in the state out of its 13 million population, with economy, inflation, immigration and cost of living being the key issues. 


The black population accounts for 12 per cent of the votes, which is roughly the same as the US average of 13%. The state also has a considerable Indian diaspora with Indian-Americans comprising the largest group of the 6 lakh Asian-Americans.