What are the key issues for voters in swing states that could decide the election?

All eyes will be on key swing states as votes are counted in the duel between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

Both candidates have traversed the seven key swing states — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — seeking to appeal to undecided voters and connect with them on the issues they care about most.

While voters in these battleground states share the same concerns as the rest of Americans, there are a few issues that are of greatest concern to their residents – with the economy leading the way as the top voter issue with just days left until Election Day .

It's the economy

“The No. 1 problem is the same as always, which is the economy. And of course the economy has several dimensions. We have the growth rate, we have unemployment, we have consumer confidence and, of course, inflation,” said Todd Belt, director of the Political Management program at George Washington University.

When it comes to the economy, 44% of Americans say they are not doing as well now as they did when President Joe Biden took office. According to a recent ABC News study, this is the most negative number on the issue since the 1986/Ipsos poll.

Although inflation has eased and employment is strong, these gains are not reflected by most people: 59% say the economy is getting worse, more than twice as many say it is getting better (23%). And among registered voters who say the economy is getting worse, Trump leads Harris by a whopping 53 points (74-21%).

An analysis of 538 polls found that virtually all swing states ranked the economy as a top voter issue — some for different reasons. Still, the economy is “the No. 1 problem everywhere,” Belt said.

Nevada's economy is particularly dependent on the hospitality industry – making the economy a top issue for voters in the state. Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, is home to about 75% of the state's population – and a significant number of hospitality workers. Likely because of these factors, Nevada voters ranked the economy as their state's most important issue, according to a poll analysis of 538.

Real estate prices, fracking, immigration

Housing affordability is another top issue for voters in swing states like Nevada and North Carolina, where home prices have skyrocketed.

The average home price in North Carolina rose from $193,200 in the 2017-19 survey to $280,600 in the 2020-22 survey, the seventh-largest percentage increase in the country, according to the American Community Survey. And in Nevada, the home value index has risen 34 percent since the start of the Biden presidency, slightly faster than the national rate of increase, according to Zillow.

The cost of food, gas and housing resonates strongly with voters in several swing states, Belt added.

“The question of economics obviously has to do with the affordability of life. That’s what we call, you know, our kitchen table and wallet question,” Belt said. “It's about food, about gas. And of course what people have commented on the most is the cost of housing.”

In embattled Pennsylvania, fracking is a major local problem and has both economic and environmental impacts.

Immigration is another key issue for many swing state voters — particularly those in the Sun Belt. Arizona, a border state, was a regular campaign stop for Trump and Harris, who often discussed immigration there. This is also top of mind for voters in Nevada, a state where Hispanics and Latinos are the largest minority group, making up 28% of the population.

“People are actually concerned about immigration because it's being discussed as a big issue in the media,” Belt said.

Trump has used immigration to influence Harris' immigration policy, directly blaming her for the situation at the border while maintaining his inaccurate label of her as the “border czar.”

Immigration is often tied to other key issues like crime, Belt noted — a tactic Trump used during the campaign.

Despite the fact that U.S. citizens are more likely to commit crimes than undocumented immigrants, Trump portrayed them as “criminals” who would “slit your throat” during a campaign stop in Wisconsin in September. Also last week in Tempe, Arizona, Trump criticized the Biden-Harris administration for its handling of the border and called the United States a “dustbin for the world.”

abortion

Abortion is a key voter issue after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, which secured the constitutional right to abortion. The Supreme Court decision, in which Trump often brags about his role, is an issue Democrats have seized on this cycle.

“Democrats believe this is kryptonite for Republicans in the last election,” Belt said.

Abortion remains a key issue among Democrats, who staved off a “red wave” during the 2022 midterm elections by focusing their messaging on it. Harris' campaign maintains that reproductive freedom is still a top issue among undecided voters.

Several states, including the battleground states of Arizona and Nevada, have ballot measures that would amend their state constitutions with specific language to protect or recognize the right to abortion for all voters.

Polls show that abortion is a more important issue in Wisconsin than nationally, according to poll analysis by 538. The legal status of abortion has been hotly contested in the state after the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade overruled, resulting in a 15-month period during which no legal abortions were performed in the state under an 1849 law that criminalized abortion.

Although other issues are on the swing states' radar, Belt noted that both Harris and Trump are working to tie the messaging back to the economy.

“You will see candidates like Donald Trump talking about how immigration affects the economy and jobs,” he said. “So there are these relief issues that they're trying to push, but they're also tying them to the economy because they know that's what voters care about most.”