যুক্তরাষ্ট্রের নির্বাচনে ‘সেভেন সিস্টার্স’

The term 'Seven Sisters' appears in Greek mythology, used to refer to the seven daughters of the Titan Atlas and the Oceanid Pleon.

Readers' familiarity with the term 'Seven Sisters' is mainly centered on the states of the north-eastern region of India.

The first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, first used the term 'Seven Sisters' in consideration of the diverse culture and demographics of these states.

Seven colleges are referred to as the Seven Sisters in the United States. Barnard College, Smith College, Bryn Mawr College, Radcliffe College, Vassar College, Wesley College and Mount Holyoke College are collectively known as the 'Seven Sisters'.

These colleges play an important role in opening the path of higher education by overcoming economic limitations in the field of women's education. In today's article, the 'Seven Sisters' will be discussed about the seven 'swing states' of the US elections.

What is 'Swing State'?

The US electoral system has been constantly adapted. Political parties have led this adaptation amid civic expectations and cultural change.

Initially the members of the Electoral College voted two by two. The first two times, George Washington won the presidency and John Adams the vice president.

From that point, the number of states in the United States is now 50. Electoral college votes are 538. Electoral college votes are determined for each state.

California has a maximum of 55 Electoral College votes. States with at least 3 votes each include Alaska, Washington DC, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming.

The 50 states of the United States can be divided into three parts. Some states traditionally win presidential elections with Republican candidates.

They are known as 'Red States'. States like Texas, Florida, Ohio, Georgia, Indiana, Alabama are known as red states. These states are generally white-dominant.

In contrast, there are states that traditionally lean toward the Democratic Party. These are known as 'Blue States'.

Democratic Party strongholds like California, New York, Virginia, New Jersey, New Mexico, Massachusetts are 'blue states'. Comparatively, the proportion of immigrants in these places is high.

Apart from this, some states have almost equal numbers of supporters of the Republican and Democratic parties. There is fierce competition between the two parties in these states.

These states become decisive in the elections. The results of these states determine who will be the occupant of the White House for the next four years.

These states are known as swing states. There are seven swing states in this election, the results of which will determine the fate of the two presidential candidates.

Georgia

Georgia winners have won control of the White House in eight of the last 12 elections. After Bill Clinton in 1992, Republican Party candidates won in Georgia in all six elections.

In 2020, Joe Biden became the first Democratic Party candidate to win the state after three decades. He defeated Donald Trump by only 11 thousand 779 votes. This gap is 0.23 percent of the total votes.

In the first presidential debate or debate of 2024, Joe Biden had to step down. That debate also took place in Atlanta, Georgia.

Population diversity is growing in Georgia. Support for the Democratic Party is also growing among women and young people. Likewise, African-American turnout is increasing.

Demographics show hope for the Democratic Party candidate. One-third of Georgia's total population is African-American. There are also about 5 percent Asians.

As a result, six of the last seven elections have been won by the Republican Party, but in this election, it is a swing state. Any candidate can win.

Trump is currently leading by 1 point in the Emerson/Polara poll in Georgia. The Marist poll and the New York Times/Sarina College poll lead by 4 percentage points.

Kamala Harris leads by 1 point in CNN/SSRS poll.

Michigan

Michigan was part of the three swing states that formed the 'Blue Wall' in the 2020 election, along with Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Hillary Clinton lost in these states in 2016 election but Joe Biden managed to win from these states.

In the last two elections, Michigan has favored two different party winners. Candidates of both parties are going to Michigan again and again in the election campaign.

Although the Democratic Party has won six of the seven elections since 1992, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris is worried about Arab-American voters here.

Empathy for Gaza is growing among these young voters, angered by the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza.

President Biden's portrayal of himself as 'pro-Zionist' and his support for Israel has not gone down well with many voters here.

Both parties are eager to take advantage of the existing situation. Here are the 15 Electoral College votes. The two candidates are tied in the Emerson/Polar poll in Michigan.

Harris has a 5 percent lead in the Marist poll, the same margin in the Quinnipiac poll.

Arizona

Immigration is a major divisive issue in US elections. Arizona is on the US-Mexico border, where Trump is always vocal about illegal immigration.

The 11-electoral state has traditionally been a Republican stronghold, but changing demographics have opened the door for the Democratic Party.

5.5 percent of the people in this state are African-American, and an equal number are Red Indians. Hispanics make up 32.5 percent.

In Arizona, the two candidates are tied in the Emerson/Polar poll. The Marist poll has Trump ahead by 1 percentage point, the New York Times/Sarina College poll by 5 percentage points.

CNN/SSRS poll also leads Trump by 5 percentage points. A cable Emerson poll last week had Harris leading by 1 percentage point.

Wisconsin

Democratic Party candidates have won five of the last six elections in Wisconsin. However, the one won by the Republican Party candidate, Donald Trump, is running for re-election.

Over 80 percent of the state's population is white. The Democratic Party has done well in recent times, but each time it won by a very narrow margin. The only exception was Barack Obama—both times he won by large margins.

Donald Trump is targeting Wisconsin's 10 Electoral College votes. This year's Republican National Convention was held in this state, Trump also took the party nomination from here.

Marist and Quinnipiac polls show Harris leading in Wisconsin by 1 percent. Trump is leading by the same margin in Emerson's poll. The two candidates are tied in the Emerson/Polar poll.

Pennsylvania

There have been two assassination attempts on Republican candidate Donald Trump, the first in Pennsylvania. Trump was shot in the ear.

This incident became one of the election issues. This 19 Electoral College state has been consistently won by Republicans throughout the 1980s.

Democrats won the next two eras. In the last two elections, the winner took the side. This time too will play an important role in determining the winner.

Joe Biden visited the state several times before stepping down. Kamala Harris is also coming again and again with Runningmate. Donald Trump is not far behind. Has been back to Pennsylvania since the beginning of the year.

Also attended the National Rifle Association event in February. Intimidation of voters on the right to bear arms and the question of the name of the state.

Democratic Party candidate Kamla Harris is ahead in University of Massachusetts and Ugov polls.

48 percent of those likely to vote support Kamala. Trump is getting 46 percent support. According to the Quinnipiac University poll, however, Harris is leading by 6 percentage points.

The New York Times and Siena College polls lead by 4 points. Trump is leading by one point in the Emerson College poll.

Nevada

The governor of the southwestern state of Nevada is a Republican with six Electoral College votes. Two senators are from the Democratic Party.

In the last 12 elections, the candidates of both parties have won equally 6 times. 10 times the selected candidates have got the opportunity to live in the White House.

Biden defeated Trump in the last election by a margin of only 34 thousand votes. Supporters of the two parties are almost equal among the electorate.

But more than that number of voters did not attach themselves to any party. 40 percent of total voters have no party affiliation.

They will make decisions based on abortion, the economy and the prospects for a democratic future.

In Nevada, the two candidates are tied in an Emerson/Polar poll. Similar results were found in Emerson's survey. CNN/SSRN has Kamala leading by 1 percentage point.

'Seven Sisters' in US Elections