Whitney Houston once sang ‘I believe the children are our future’ but she might as well have belted out ‘I believe the children can see our future’.
Despite not being old enough to cast a vote, it turns out young people are pretty good at predicting the winners of elections.
Nickelodeon have been running a special programme since 1988 called ‘Kids Pick the President’ and the youngsters have got the outcome spot on seven times out of nine.
In the most consequential election facing our friends on the other side of the Atlantic in a generation, I think the children are going to make it eight.
The US’ ridiculous voting system – the Electoral College – means the election is going to be a lot closer than the bare result should be.
The Democrats have won the popular vote at every presidential election since 2008 and, quite frankly, it would be a big shock if Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are unable to continue that run as the national polls still have them ahead of Donald Trump and JD Vance.
Trump famously overcame Hillary Clinton in 2016 by stitching together a coalition of voters in the key swing states and those seven battlegrounds will, once again, prove crucial to the overall result.
A week ago I would have forecast a repeat, with Harris bagging the most votes but Trump triumphing in the Electoral College to take the keys to the White House.
There seems to have been the slightest shift in momentum towards the Democrat candidate in recent days, however, and that could prove decisive.
With so few undecideds, it will come down to the ground game and the blue team appear to have a slicker operation, with the early data pointing towards that.
A CNN poll of people who have already voted in swing states suggests Harris has got her supporters out in force compared to Trump’s band of backers.
If you leave out the seven states that will decide the outcome then the Electoral College stands at 226 to Harris and 219 to Trump.
Of the septet, Pennsylvania offers the most Electoral College votes (19) and the Democrats’ get-out-the-vote operation could get the job done in the Keystone state, which would ease the pressure on the rest.
Georgia, Michigan and Nevada would get Harris over the line – Wisconsin also looks winnable – whereas Arizona and North Carolina are swaying towards Trump.
It will be mighty close but I think the kids have got it right, Kamala Harris will be the next President of the United States.
Read These Next on the US Presidential Election 2024
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- US Presidential Election betting tips: Our 3 best bets for Harris v Trump including a 7/2 punt
- When are US Presidential Election results announced? When will we know Harris v Trump winner?
- The Ultimate US Presidential Election Betting Guide
The Paddy Power Guide To Safer Gambling – Everything You Need To Know
