With just days to go until the 2024 presidential election, Democratic nominee Kamala Harris brought her trademark wit and energy to the iconic stage of Saturday Night Live. In a surprise appearance alongside comedian Maya Rudolph, who has been portraying Harris this season, the real-life VP candidate showed she’s ready for prime time – and perhaps the Oval Office.
Harris Shines in SNL Spotlight
Stepping out to wild applause, Harris played herself as a mirror image of Rudolph’s impersonation. “It is nice to see you, Kamala,” she quipped to her TV double, “and I’m just here to remind you – you got this.” The two then delivered their “Keep Kamala and carry-on-ala” catchphrase in perfect sync before declaring that they share an unwavering “belief in the promise of America.”
The crowd-pleasing cameo capped off a strong week for the Harris campaign. Just hours earlier, she had drawn thousands to a rally in the crucial swing state of Georgia. There, she drew a sharp contrast between her record as a prosecutor and what she called the Trump campaign’s “obsession with revenge and grievance.”
“In less than 90 days it’s either going to be him or me in the Oval Office,” Kamala Harris told fired-up supporters in Atlanta yesterday. Will her star turn on @nbcsnl tonight tip the scales? pic.twitter.com/lKR9oFBNVX
— The Guardian (@guardian) November 5, 2024
Trump Loses Ground as Election Nears
Meanwhile, the Trump campaign seems to be losing steam in the home stretch. A new Des Moines Register poll shows Harris leading Trump by 3 points among likely Iowa voters, a state he won handily in 2020. Pundits caution that the race remains fluid, but the unexpected deficit in a former stronghold is surely troubling for the GOP.
Trump also suffered a legal setback on Saturday when a Georgia judge rejected a Republican lawsuit seeking to block Democratic-leaning counties from offering weekend early voting. The ruling clears the way for tens of thousands of voters, mostly in the Atlanta area, to cast ballots in the final days of the race. According to a source close to the campaign, Trump was “furious” about the decision.
“Some of the tools pollsters are using in 2024 may be flattening out the differences and reducing variation in poll results…raising the possibility that election results could be unexpectedly different than the razor-close narrative suggests.”
– Josh Clinton and John Lapinski, NBC News
All Eyes on Turnout as Voting Surges
With almost 70 million ballots already cast, the 2024 race is shattering early voting records. Democrats see the surge as a sign of enthusiasm for Harris, while Republicans argue it reflects distrust in election systems. Ultimately, the outcome may hinge on which side can mobilize its base on Tuesday while winning over a dwindling number of undecided voters.
As Harris and Trump mount last-minute blitzes across battleground states, their running mates are also out in force. GOP vice presidential nominee Ron DeSantis stumped in his home state of Florida, while Harris’s partner Pete Buttigieg made stops in Nevada and Arizona.
Looking Ahead to Election Day and Beyond
No matter who prevails on Tuesday, the 2024 election will be one for the history books. If Harris wins, she’ll shatter multiple glass ceilings as the first woman, first Black American, and first Asian American to reach the White House. Should Trump get a second term, he could reshape the judiciary for a generation and pursue sweeping changes to voting laws, immigration, and more.
- A record 70 million early votes have already been cast
- Over $16 billion spent on campaigns, making it the most expensive election ever
- Dozens of lawsuits still pending over mail ballots, poll access, and vote counting
As the candidates make their closing arguments, voters now face a stark choice about the direction of the country. Will they embrace the Biden-Harris record and vision of a more inclusive America? Or will they hand Trump four more years to enact his “America First” agenda? In a race this tight, every vote will matter. The only certainty is that the world will be watching.
