US Election Latest: Too late to debate? Harris campaign calls Trump "chicken"

• Trump labelled "chicken" for rejecting second debate

• Harris ahead in Keystone State as Trump sends mixed messages

• Republicans look strong in Arizona and Georgia

• View Betfair Exchange politics markets as you have never seen before at Betfair Predicts

Debate watch

Over the weekend, Donald Trump announced at a rally that he would not participate in a second debate with Vice President Kamala Harris. He said this in response to news that Harris had accepted an invitation to a CNN debate on the 23 October.

Trump lambasted the plans as "too late", given that early voting has already started in some states.

Yet the Democratic Party have some tricks up their sleeve.

On Monday night when Trump took to the stage in Pennsylvania, some attendees may have noticed billboards in the area showing former President Donald Trump in a chicken suit, along with the words: "There's no debate: Donald Trump's a chicken."

This is the latest attempt to goad Trump into accepting a second debate - and it's no surprise given how successful the first debate was for the Harris team.

On the night of the debate, Kamala Harris recaptured the lead on the betting markets, as punters saw her winning performance unfold against Donald Trump. Her odds went from 11/102.11 before the debate to 20/211.95 afterwards.

A whopping £1m was wagered on the Betfair Exchange election winner market around the debate.

It's the economy, stupid

This week, Harris is set to announce a raft of economic policies, to aid wealth creation and help businesses grow.

Voters have struggled to differentiate Harris' policy agenda from Biden's, given her crucial role in his administration. In particular, undecided voters and swing state voters have indicated that they want more information about what Harris stands for - something her campaign will hope to remedy with these announcements.

It's likely she will unveil her plans at her rally on Wednesday night in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

An average of the polls in key swing state Pennsylvania indicates that Harris is ahead by around 1.3%. Joe Biden carried the state by just over 1% in 2020.

Meanwhile, on the Betfair Exchange, punters are more bullish. They give the Democrats a 5/61.84 chance of carrying Pennsylvania - around a 55% chance - while the Republicans trail at 11/102.11, translating to a 48% chance.

What next for the campaigns?

Trump urged voters in his latest rally in Pennsylvania to vote early, an indication that this swing state will be central to his and Harris' campaign. Yet only minutes later he also called early voting 'stupid'.

In 2020 early voting was one key linchpin of his attack against what he claimed were fraudulent votes,

Then, he called mail-in voting - one type of early voting - "a corrupt system". Pennsylvania voters can make up their own minds.

Trump's encouragement for early votes would be tactically beneficial, but contrary to his claims that elections are rigged - so keep an eye on his narrative - and read about early voting here - in coming weeks on this topic.

Trump visited Georgia yesterday afternoon, focusing on the tax code - an area of economic policy which Harris is focusing on too this week.

Republicans ahead in Georgia and Arizona

Of the seven swing states, Georgia has the Democrats faring second-worst in the betting markets barring Arizona.

Democrats are out at 6/42.50 to win Georgia - only 40%. The Republicans are at 6/101.60, giving them a 63% chance.

Georgia had overwhelmingly voted Republican in recent elections, until 2020 when Joe Biden carried the state by a margin of only 0.23%. The state became a focal point for Trump's efforts to overturn the election results in the weeks following the election.

And finally, Harris is considering a visit to the US-Mexico border on her visit to Arizona later in the week.

This is reportedly to aim to close the gap with Trump when it comes to immigration - a topic where he polls significantly better than Harris. According to Redfield and Wilton Strategies, voters in Arizona trust Donald Trump (46%) more than Kamala Harris (35%) on the issue of immigration, giving Trump an 11-point lead on this issue over Harris.

In the state betting markets for Arizona, Trump is the clear favourite at 1/21.50.

Now read Betting.Betfair US Election Live Blog