From Abortion to Zelenskyy: The A to Z of the US presidential election campaign explained

The stage is set for an election showdown on November 5.

US Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are heading toward what is expected to be one of the closest races in modern American history.

But it is more than just a Harris-Trump contest. On November 5, US voters will also elect new members of Congress and thousands of state and local officials, and vote on multiple referendums addressing hot-button issues like abortion.

Polls indicate the race is so close that a few thousand votes in key swing states could decide the outcome.

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On the Republican side, Donald Trump secured his party’s nomination with a strong lead over his rivals. His running mate is Ohio Senator JD Vance.

Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic candidate after US President Joe Biden stepped down from the race. Harris, running unopposed within her party, selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her vice-presidential pick.

Several independent candidates are also running for the presidency.

The main issues in this election include the economy, healthcare, climate change, immigration, national security, and social justice.

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If you are struggling to understand the US presidential election, here’s an A-Z dictionary to help you through the contest between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump:

A - Abortion

A hot-button issue that Democrats hope will be Trump’s Achilles heel, given his role as president in ending the federal right to the procedure.

B - Border

A weakness for Kamala Harris, through her association with President Joe Biden, amid claims that, under their watch, millions of undocumented migrants crossed the frontier with Mexico.

C - California

The liberal home state of Harris, a factor prompting her to appear more centrist and moderate as she courts independent and Republican voters.

D - Debate

A disastrous performance by Biden in June led him to end his campaign. Trump was bested by Harris in their debate and has refused a rematch before Election Day.

E - Elon, as in Musk

The tech mogul has put his voice, money, and media platform in support of Trump.

F - Fundraising

After stepping in for Biden, Harris stunned America by raising vast sums from newly jubilant supporters.

G - Genitalia

The anatomical feature of the late golf legend Arnold Palmer that Trump saw fit to comment on during a campaign rally.

H - Haitian

The nationality of some immigrants in Ohio whom Trump, his running mate JD Vance, and other Republicans have alleged, falsely, are eating people’s dogs and cats.

I - Information

A fog of bogus and often absurd claims surrounds the campaign, including the pet-eating Haitians and this gem from Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene: that the Biden administration is controlling the weather.

J - January 6

The date of the 2021 Capitol insurrection by violent Trump supporters attempting to keep him in power after his 2020 loss to Biden. Trump recently described the event as “a day of love.”

K - Kamala

What’s in a name? If elected, she would be America’s first female president and the first of South Asian heritage - two historic achievements reflected in her name.

L - Ladies, ones with cats but no kids

A demographic Vance defined years ago, which has come back to haunt him.

M - Media

Harris has been accused of avoiding one-on-one interviews, reinforcing the perception that Americans simply do not know much about her.

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N - National security

Trump says he will strengthen it, while Harris insists he poses a threat to it.

O - Old

Biden, 81, bowed out due to the perception he was too worn out for another term. Trump, now 78, is the oldest US candidate ever. At 60, Harris, by comparison, appears youthful.

P - Project 2025

A prominent think tank’s blueprint for authoritarian governance under Trump.

Q - Quit

Biden’s withdrawal from the race. The political shockwave of an incumbent president stepping aside in July, making way for Harris, rejuvenated Democrats who had been increasingly resigned to another Trump term.

R - Refusal

Trump’s refusal to commit to accepting a loss in November, raising the specter of another January 6 type insurrection.

S - Swing states

The seven states can go either way and are seen as determining the election.

T - Tariffs

The levies Trump plans to impose on all US imports. “It’s the most beautiful word in the dictionary,” he has said.

U - ‘Unfit’ and ‘unstable’

How Harris describes Trump.

V - Vague

Harris faces accusations of keeping her policy positions intentionally ambiguous to avoid alienating potential voters.

W - Weird

Harris’s running mate Tim Walz coined this term to describe Trump, Vance, and their circle, much to the delight of Democrats.

X - (E)xhausted

A term reportedly used by a Trump aide to describe the Republican candidate in the exhausting final stretch.

Y - Yes men

The people Trump is expected to surround himself with in a second term, meaning no guard rails against rash or dangerous behaviour.

Z - Zelenskyy, Volodymyr

The Ukrainian president who is surely concerned about Trump’s affinity for Putin, who launched the 2022 invasion.

With inputs from AFP

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