US Election Latest: White House race will be decided by fine margins

• Election will be decided on fine margins

• Trump off to California and Bill Clinton in swing states

• What is the aftermath of Hurricane Milton?

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Election margins are razor-thin

This election is being fought on razor-thin margins, so it is a pollster and political nerd's dream. There are huge numbers of polls being published from all directions on the result of the race.

This is reflected in the betting markets - where Trump has opened a commanding lead against Harris. He is currently ahead at 4/51.80 of winning the election, compared to 5/42.25 for Harris.

What's the reason for this closeness? Political pundits are divided.

Polling shows that sore people were alarmed by a Trump Presidency in 2016 and 2018 than they are now. That's surprising, given that the Capitol Riot took place in 2021.

The Harris campaign has also only recently allowed the media to gain better access to her through a slew of media interviews and prime-time television coverage.

Finally, policy reporting has not recently been robust enough to cover the emergence of a last-minute candidate.

The ambivalence between Trump and Harris may eventually be what clinches the presidency for one of the two.

Listen to Politics...Only Bettor US election special with Adam Boulton

Trump off to California and Clinton in swing states

You may have read in recent Betfair Election Updates that swing states are the key battleground in this election. Swing states could turn either to the Democratic or Republican candidate, meaning they are the focal point of rallies, key speeches, and policy announcements.

One state that is most certainly NOT on the swing states list is California. Democrats lead in this state at odds of 1/1001.01 of winning, to the Republicans' 74/175.00.

The state voted overwhelmingly for Joe Biden in the 2020 Presidential Election, at a rate of 63% compared to Trump's 34%.

Yet Trump visited California this weekend, aiming to criticize California state policies that have been blamed for homelessness, water shortages, and rising cost of living bills. A potential third assassination attempt was prevented before the event.

Trump visiting the state may seem fantastical, but we are seeing the campaigns throwing the kitchen sink at this campaign.

On that note, Bill Clinton hit the campaign trail this week. The former-president is being deployed with rural voters as well as other demographics that helped him win his two presidential terms.

These include rallies in Georgia - where Democrats are at 7/42.75 to win - and North Carolina, which has Democrats at 8/52.60 to win.

As we have mentioned in our Swing State Analyses, Clinton's 1992 election was notable for winning many states for the only time in decades for the Democrats.

The aftermath of Hurricane Milton

The build-up to Hurricane Milton's landfall on the West Coast of Florida was immense. The storm eventually became the second-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever in the Gulf of Mexico, coming at a time of increased risks following another strong Hurricane only two weeks earlier.

Yet by all accounts, the damage was much less than feared and the fatalities numbered far fewer than expected.

President Biden heads to Florida today to declare new money for the recovery from the storms. Florida is deeply Republican, with Democrats at 8/19.00 to carry the state at the presidential election.

Expect to see more from Harris-Walz on this, after the Harris campaign called out Trump's "misinformation" about the Democrats' handling of the disaster.

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