Harris and Trump pitch in swing states

NOVI/KALAMAZOO, Michigan — Democrat candidate Kamala Harris and Republican contender Donald Trump battled for holdout votes over the penultimate weekend of campaigning across US swing states, with Michelle Obama joining the Democrat onstage before the Republican nominee hosts a rally in New York.

With just over a week left in a contested presidential race, the rivals converged Saturday on Michigan, one of the three "Blue Wall" states — along with Wisconsin and Pennsylvania — that Democrats see as critical to Election Day victory on Nov 5.

Both candidates are making closing pitches to voters in one of the US' most divisive and suspense-filled electoral fights, with polls suggesting a dead heat ahead of the election.

In the southern Michigan city of Kalamazoo, about 210 kilometers away, Harris drew contrasts between her and Trump on issues such as abortion rights, taxes and healthcare.

Former first lady Michelle Obama appeared in the rally, while her husband Barack Obama joined Harris on Thursday for a rally in Georgia.

After leaving Michigan, Trump traveled to Pennsylvania, where he tried to reel in young voters with a rally on the campus of Penn State University.

"We have to finish it off with a big victory on Nov 5," he said.

Trump was to rally supporters on Sunday at the iconic New York arena Madison Square while Harris was expected to go neighborhood to neighborhood in Philadelphia.

With some 8.4 million registered voters and 15 Electoral College votes of the 270 needed to win, Michigan is one of seven competitive US states that will decide the election, Reuters reported.

So far, 19.5 percent of registered voters in Michigan, or nearly 1.42 million people, have voted, Michigan's State Department said on Friday. Only 10,900 were in-person early votes, while the rest were returned absentee ballots.

Agencies Via Xinhua