What happens in the coming days will be decisive in deciding the winner. Here are some things we monitor:

1. Will the wars in the Middle East change the focus?

It is still unclear how Iran would react Israel’s unusually public airstrikes on Iran Friday. The answer could determine whether the region slides further toward all-out war or whether it remains stable at an already devastating and destabilizing level of violence.

2. Will Harris’ closing message exploit Democrats’ anxiety?

Harris will try to ease Democrats’ anxiety Tuesday when she delivers her speech his “final argument” at the Ellipse, the same location near the White House where Trump spoke on January 6, 2021, shortly before his supporters attacked the Capitol.

3. Can Trump stay true to his message (relatively speaking)?

And with eight days until Election Day, history suggests that Trump is all but guaranteed to say or do something else controversial down the stretch. The only question is whether it will succeed.

4. Where will they go?

How candidates’ travel schedules evolve will tell us a lot about which battlegrounds will matter most on Election Day.

5. Will the wave of early voting continue?

More than 41 million votes have already been cast in national elections. Democrats generally have an advantage in early voting, but so far, at least, Republicans are participating in much higher turnout than in the past.

6. To what extent will Trump work to undermine the election results?

History may one day decide that the most significant thing Trump said in the final days of the 2024 election is the one many voters barely notice: his persistent warnings that this election is rigged against him .

Learn more about what to watch in the final days of the campaign