Harris vs. Trump: Brazil's Lula weighs in on who should lead America next

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has expressed his preference for Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States, stating that her presidency would help bolster democracy in the country.

Lula referenced the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, where supporters of Republican Donald Trump stormed the building in protest of the election results, which were won by current President Joe Biden, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The Capitol attack, which occurred during the certification of the 2020 presidential election results, led to the deaths of five individuals and injuries to 140 law enforcement officers. Prior to the riot, Trump's refusal to acknowledge the election outcome and his attempts to challenge it in court had sparked widespread protests.

As the U.S. presidential election approaches on November 5, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are set to compete for the presidency. Trump previously served as president from 2017 to 2021.

Recent data from the University of Florida's Electoral Processes Laboratory indicates that over 70 million Americans have already voted early in the election, with approximately 168 million registered voters in total. As of 22:06 on November 1, local time, 70,053,286 early votes had been cast, with over 37.4 million voting in person and more than 32.6 million voting by mail. Texas (7.9 million), Florida (7.3 million), and California (6 million) recorded the highest numbers of early voters.

Polling data shows that Vice President Harris holds a slight electoral advantage over Trump in three key states: Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. An October Marist Poll found Harris leading Trump by 3 percentage points in Michigan and 2 points in both Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. In Michigan, 51% of respondents supported Harris, compared to 48% for Trump, although her lead has decreased from a 5-point advantage in September. In Pennsylvania, support was split with Harris at 50% and Trump at 48%, showing a slight improvement for Harris since September. Similarly, in Wisconsin, 50% favoured Harris while 48% favoured Trump, with her lead narrowing since the previous poll.

Moreover, women in these states show greater support for Harris, while Trump garners more backing from men. The importance of Harris's support in the so-called “Blue Wall” states — Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin — cannot be overstated, as these areas historically favoured Democrats in presidential elections from 1992 to 2012.

As the election date nears, pre-election polls indicate a closely contested race, with an October 24 Wall Street Journal poll showing Trump slightly ahead of Harris, receiving 47% of the vote to her 45%.

By Tamilla Hasanova