Election update: 49 days until election day

As the presidential campaign enters its final seven weeks, both campaigns have spent a lot of time in the Keystone State. Pennsylvania is one of several swing states that, with its 19 votes in the Electoral College, will decide the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.

Pennsylvania's importance was highlighted in the first and perhaps only debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris since she replaced President Joe Biden as the Democratic Party's nominee.

The September 10 debate in Philadelphia highlighted the differences in temperament and policy views between Harris and Trump.

The candidates faced off on immigration, with Trump attacking Harris' record and the Biden-Harris administration's inaction on border policy. Harris blamed Trump for his role in blocking bipartisan immigration legislation so he could campaign on a crisis at the southern border.

On the economic front, Trump promised to bring back American manufacturing jobs by imposing across-the-board tariffs on imported goods. But experts warn that such a policy – similar to the tariffs during Trump's first term – would likely result in dramatically higher prices for consumers.

Harris' economic message focused on measures she said will help the middle class, including a $25,000 down payment for first-time home buyers, tax credits for small businesses and an increase in the child tax credit.

Harris was asked about her stance on fracking, an issue that concerns many Pennsylvanians. Harris previously supported a ban on the practice, but has now come out in favor of it.

Abortion was also a hotly contested issue, with Trump congratulating himself on his role in the Supreme Court's overturning of the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, which had protected abortion rights nationwide. Harris emphasized the human impact of state laws restricting abortion, particularly in cases of rape and incest.

During a discussion on immigration in Springfield, Ohio, Trump made baseless claims about Haitian immigrants.

“In Springfield, they eat dogs,” Trump said. “They eat cats. They eat … the pets of the people who live there. And that's what's happening in our country, and it's a disgrace.”

The allegations, which NBC said have been refuted, led to racist harassment in the small town.

The Trump team has stated that it will not participate in another debate against Harris.