Every four years tens of millions of Americans go to the polls and cast their votes for a president. But what many people don’t realize is that the election results aren’t necessarily decided by the popular vote. Instead, the presidential election is won through the Electoral College, which gives each state a certain number of electoral votes based on its population. This system makes it possible for a candidate to win the national popular vote but still lose the election, and has happened five times in history.
This election is no exception. Although Republican candidate Donald Trump has the edge in most battleground states, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris is holding steady and has momentum, fueled by a strong debate performance that may have given her a decisive boost.
But with less than a month to go until Election Day, anything can happen. The candidates’ campaigns are going to spend the next several weeks honing their messages and focusing on turning out voters in key states. And as the race becomes increasingly contested, mistakes are going to be costly.
The upcoming debate is the first and possibly only chance for the candidates to directly face off in person. The debate will take place in Philadelphia on Tuesday night. The candidates will be putting their best foot forward, and it’s likely to be an entertaining evening of politics.