US Election 2024: Essential guide to swing states

• What is a swing state in a US election?

• Simple guide to what makes a swing state

• Find out how they decide who wins the White House

• Follow our 2024 US Election live blog

• See US election odds as you've never seen them before

Between now and 5 November you are going to hear a lot about the swing states in the US election as Kamala Harris and Donald Trump focus their campaigns on trying to win votes there.

The Betfair Exchange odds tell us that the election is going to be close so it is important to know about the swing states - what and where they are?

What is a swing state in a US election?

It is a state that could vote for the Republican or Democratic candidate at the election. There are 50 states in the US and many of them, such as California, which will also certainly vote for Harris, and Texas, which is a shoo-in, for Trump, look like a foregone conclusion. The two campaign teams would be unwise to waste their resources on these states, although of course they should never take anyone's vote for granted.

In other states, polling and history indicates that the outcome is uncertain. These states could go either way on election day. Perhaps they have changed hands, between the Republicans and Democrats, at the last few elections, or perhaps there are regional issues that are shaping the race there.

These are the swing states because they swing between the two parties and are a good indicator of who is going to win the national election.

If you look at the Betfair Predicts US election state map you can find the swing states. They are the ones where the race is close to 50/50.

Are the swing states always the same ones?

No. Places and politics change. States see demographic shifts, with people arriving who might be more prone to vote for a particular party and that can shift the political dial there.

Then again some candidates manage to connect with the electorate in a state regardless of their party. For example, Pennsylvania voted Democrat at every election from 1992 onwards before Trump managed to win it for the Republicans in 2016. It swung back to the Democrats four years later and it is up for grabs this time again.

Most experts believe there are seven swing states at 2024 US election. They are Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Both campaigns will be visiting those states regularly, urging their supporters to turn out on election day and trying to win any undecideds.

For more information on the seven 2024 swing states read this short guide.

Now read Betfair US election live blog for the latest betting news