As the countdown to Election Day intensifies, the spotlight turns to the battleground states that hold the key to victory for candidates. If you want to know where the election will likely be won, you need to check where they have been campaigning recently. Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have been hitting the swing states hard with campaign events and that’s because of the weight the states hold in this election.

In 2020, states like Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Arizona all were major states in that election and it’s looking that way again as these states will be crucial in their ways. These five states have the power to decide this election.

5. Arizona

Arizona has been a conservative stronghold since the ’76 election but it wasn’t until late that the Democrats won the state in a highly contested 2020 election. After mail-in ballots became frequent the numbers started to favor Democrats. This led to issues in Maricopa County as mail-in ballots took longer to tabulate because they were dropped off on election day and counted after polls closed.

Maricopa County is by far the most important because history shows that whoever wins Maricopa County usually wins the state. Maricopa County is by far the most influential and it could hold high stakes in this election.

Immigration is one of the biggest issues up for debate in this election. Arizona is a border state that President Joe Biden won narrowly in 2020. This shows how close of a race it really could be.

One key race in the state besides the presidential election is the Senate race. Democrat Ruben Gallego and Republican Kari Lake are running to replace incumbent Kyrsten Sinema.

4. Michigan

The Democrats and Republicans traded wins in Michigan during the 2016 and 2020 elections. In the 1970s and 1980s, Michigan voted mostly Republican, but after that, it became a reliable blue state over time. During the 2016 election, Former President Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton by a meager 11,000 votes.

Both candidates have campaigned here heavily over a few months, speaking on issues that plague the nations. This state will definitely be a toss-up going towards the election. This state has also proven to be important because history shows that if you win Michigan, you will most likely win the election. This happened in the last nine out of 12 elections.

Michiganders prioritize several important issues, ranked as follows: Economy (31%), Immigration (13%), Threats to Democracy (12%), and Healthcare (10%). These issues show what the voting population wants to see fixed or addressed by candidates.

3. Wisconsin

Wisconsin is in the same boat as Michigan because they have been a reliable blue rust belt state until 2016. The Republican National Convention was held in Milwaukee and one of Kamala Harris’s events as the democratic nominee was held in Wisconsin.

This state is crucial because it’s always a close race and you will want to get as many swing states as you can because the race can rely on it. If you look at the last two elections the margin of victory has been under one.

The presence of third-party candidates can harm the numbers of Democrats and Republicans in the state. With having such a small margin already this could lead to voters being taken. Wis. is one of the states that have the biggest impacts from third-party voters.

2. Pennsylvania

The state of Pennsylvania has been a political hotbed this election cycle with a multitude of campaign visits. The state was the one that put President Joe Biden over the 270-to-win mark in the 2020 election.

Both Candidates have been making stops in the state to talk with people in the communities and attend rallies, and other campaign events. Harris even stopped in the community of Robert Morris University. Though when in Moon township, counter-protesters met her campaign. One stop also led to Former President Trump being shot in the ear while at a rally in Butler, Pa. It’s safe to say that this state is a big priority for these candidates based on the amount of trips they made.

Demographics of the state also make it an interesting race simply because of the large working-class population and middle-aged to older voters.

According to an average from 19 polls, the current margin is 48.2% to 48.3% in favor of Donald Trump according to poll data from 270 to win. With two days remaining till the election, the state’s race is very close and it could swing anyway.

1. Georgia

The state of Georgia has had a time where they voted Democrat and they went through a Republican phase up to around 2016. It has turned into a battleground state as Joe Biden flipped the state in the 2020 election.

Georgia carries 16 electors which is very important to take note of because those 16 electors could be the 16 needed to win the election for either candidate. Georgia is less of a swing state compared to Pennsylvania but it’s still a swing state because of how close the race was in 2020.

Looking back at the data from 2020, Joe Biden won the state by a slight 11,000 votes. Biden won the state by .3% in 2020.

Now both candidates have been making their rounds in Georgia as they try to sway the still-undecided voters and strengthen their cases for their voters as we gear close to the election.

Candidates have been devising ways to reach out and connect with their voters, making this a costly election cycle.