The state of the 2024 race, explained in 7 charts

Vice President Kamala Harris has pulled slightly ahead in national polls against former President Donald Trump. Still, the race is pretty tight, and it looks like it will remain that way until Election Day.

Despite polling errors that overestimated Democrats’ performance in the popular vote in 2016 and 2020, head-to-head polls are still the best signal of what the election outcome will be — though it’s important to keep in mind that no single poll will be exactly right, and that some polls have better methodologies than others.

But head-to-head polling isn’t the only way to gauge the state of play. Other election indicators — ranging from approval ratings and sentiments among key groups of voters to economic measures and campaign spending — all provide crucial context about where the electorate and this campaign are headed.