WASHINGTON, Oct 30, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – With five days to go before the US
presidential election, here are some of the highlights from the campaign
trail on Thursday:
– The candidates hit Florida –
Donald Trump and Joe Biden concentrated their efforts on the key state of
Florida, where the president sought to raise enthusiasm for an economic
recovery to counter polls that show him slightly behind there.
He again played down the dangers of Covid-19 in favor of reopening
businesses and stuck with his strategy of fear-mongering.
“They will allow you nothing,” the Republican said in Tampa, referring to
Democrats.
“We’re never going to lock down again… We’re open for business.”
Biden addressed a drive-in rally in Broward County north of Miami, the
first of his two Florida rallies on Thursday.
“I’m not going to shut down the economy,” the former vice president said.
“I’m not going to shut down the country. But I am going to shut down the
virus.”
– Shifting tides? –
Trump narrowly defeated Hillary Clinton in Florida in 2016 but an NBC
News/Marist poll released on Thursday had Biden with a 51-47 lead in the
state.
The poll showed Biden had a commanding lead among Black voters (84-14),
women (57-41) and independents (55-41) and was also favored by seniors (53-
46), who make up a large proportion of the voters in the Sunshine State.
Florida is tied for third with New York in total number of electoral votes
at 29 out of a total of 538.
Candidates must win 270 electoral votes for victory.
Trump cannot lose Florida if he is to be reelected.
A second poll, from Quinnipiac, had Biden ahead 45-42 in Florida.
It also showed a close race in Iowa, but Biden maintaining slightly larger
leads in the key battleground states of Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Pennsylvania has the fifth-highest number of electoral votes at 20, equal
with Illinois.
– News of economic growth –
Economic growth was Trump’s primary argument before the pandemic, and he
received good news on that front with GDP figures announced Thursday.
The data showed an annual rate of growth of 33.1 percent in the third
quarter — a jaw-dropping statistic that reflected the fact that the economy
is rebounding from such a low base.
“Biggest and Best in the History of our Country, and not even close,” Trump
tweeted.
But economists warned that the rebound in the July-September period, after
the 31.4 percent drop in the second quarter, was driven by consumer spending
supported by a massive $3 trillion in government aid, much of which has since
expired.