Competition on for US presidency although Biden, Trump have not been nominated yet

News report by Anvar Jache WASHINGTON, May 15 (KUNA) -- Although the two top foes for the US elections due on November 5 have not been officially declared as candidates of their parties, fiery competition for the top post is already taking place at various levels in the superpower's nation.
The former president and president hopeful again, Donald Trump, is awaiting the national assembly of the Republican Party, due on July 15-18 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, when his colleagues in the party would determine whether he would run for the presidential post.
President Joe Biden, for his part, awaits his party's assembly, due in Chicago, Illinois, on August 19-22.
Opinion polls have shown razor-edge competition between the number one foes, amid noticeable bewilderment on part of many would-be voters. The polls, sometimes, show that Biden's popularity is greater than that of his adversary and in others, the opposite.
However, according to a poll conducted by a think tank, half of the selected sample of potential voters expressed a desire to see both Biden and Trump as losers.
Although the US comprises 50 states, only ten of them "have the keys to the White House." They are called swinging or reluctant states -- sometimes the electorate tilts in favor of the Republicans and in others, for the Democrats.
For example, the heavily populated California is somehow considered as insignificant in the elections because it is totally dominated by the Democrats and the bulk of the citizens vote for Democratic nominees. The large state of Texas is eyed similarly because the Republicans control it.
However, other states such as Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Georgia, are eyed as among the states that hold "the key to the White House" for they turn into a theater of robust competition in the polling and in some cases, only a small number of voters may determine destiny of a nominee.
Polls conducted by the New York Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer, late last month and early this month, showed Trump was ahead of Biden by five states out of six of the "swinging states." The polls have shown that Trump has greater support among the youth and Americans of African origin than that enjoyed by his foe, Biden. Analysts believe that Biden's popularity has been trimmed due to his stands on the war in Gaza and the difficult economic conditions, although Biden has often defended his economic policies and dedicated significant attention to the middle class and residents of urban regions.
Biden, in his State of the Union Address in March, defended his policies arguing that his administration created 15 million jobs in three years amid mounting payments.
Local files such as the economy and abortion are a prime concern for the electorate, while the foreign policies usually do not constitute a decisive factor in choosing a new president. Although this has been a stable fact for many years, the scene has recently changed to some extent with protests at the universities by activists rejecting the Israeli occupation's war on Gaza.
Prospected voters in some states, namely Michigan and Minnesota, had addressed a strong message to Biden in the preliminary elections. More than 100,000 citizens cast "non-committed" ballots to demonstrate opposition to his support for the Israeli occupation's war on Gaza.
Ballots of the Muslims and Arab Americans in Michigan are expected to be decisive in the polling process. This segment of the American people had contributed to paving the way for Biden to reach the White House in the last presidential elections.
Aware of the wrath among these Americans, Biden had sent delegations to representatives of these communities to promote his policies, trying to win their hearts and minds in the electoral run-up. Both Biden and Trump face diverse issues and problems. Biden for instance suffers from health issues, deemed harmful to his mental capacities, in addition to his old age, 81. A poll had shown that two-thirds of Americans believe that Biden is not fit for running state issues -- mentally wise.
His adversary, Trump, is troubled with judicial issues. He is charged in one of the cases with paying "hush money" to keep an unethical affair under the carpet. (end) asj.rk