Over the next two months, former President Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris and their surrogates will crisscross the country, making their final pitch to voters with rallies, political ads, phone banks and more. NBC 5 political editor Mary Ann Ahern reports.
With both parties' political conventions in the rearview, the presidential candidates are bracing for the final stretch before Election Day.
Over the next two months, former President Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris and their surrogates will crisscross the country, making their final pitch to voters with rallies, political ads, phone banks and more.
Labor Day signals "go-time" for presidential campaigns, so voters can expect to see them ramp up campaigning and fundraising. This week, Trump will campaign in Wisconsin, and Harris will be in Pennsylvania.
Election Day is about two months away, but millions of voters will cast ballots before then due to early voting. On Friday, the first early ballots go out in swing state North Carolina.
On Sept. 10, Trump and Harris will go head-to-head in their first-ever televised debate. The event will take place in Philadelphia, and viewers can expect the candidates to contrast their views on key issues like the economy, immigration and abortion.
Eight days later, on Sept. 18, Trump is scheduled to be sentenced in his hush money criminal case, although his lawyers have asked the judge to delay until after the November presidential election.
That same week, in-person absentee voting begins in some states. For example, early voting starts on Sept. 26 in Illinois and Oct. 8 in Indiana. The National Conference of State Legislatures has a full list of when each state begins early voting.
On Oct. 1, the running mates, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. JD Vance, are set for their televised debate.
Election Day is Nov. 5, and up until that point, the campaigns will spend hundreds of millions targeting voters, including those who haven't paid much attention to the candidates so far and those who are still undecided. Ultimately, the race will all come down to between six and eight swing states, including nearby Wisconsin and Michigan.
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Here in Chicago, some key court dates are also on the horizon. Former Ald. Ed Burke is due to report to prison on Sept. 23. Then, former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan's trial is scheduled to start in the beginning of October.
