Where Joy Meets Anger: Harris and Trump Battle for Undecided Voters

Devon Howard is not feeling the joy.

Mr. Howard, a 25-year-old airport technician, has no use for Vice President Kamala Harris’s displays of optimism. And he doubts whether either candidate can fix what he sees as a country headed in the wrong direction. Like other voters in Las Vegas, Mr. Howard is fed up with the costs of gas and rent, as his paycheck seems to cover less and less of his regular expenses.

“I just don’t like the way they’re playing it, telling us we should all be more optimistic when things just are not looking good right now,” Mr. Howard said while warming up for a softball game in East Las Vegas. “They’re all out for themselves, not helping people like us over here. We just get the same promises, and not much is changing.”

Mr. Howard hasn’t decided whom he’ll vote for — or whether he’ll vote at all. He has grown frustrated by how much former President Donald J. Trump has divided the country — though he voted for Mr. Trump in 2020 — but he has also been unimpressed by Ms. Harris. Mostly, he and his friends try to tune out the daily bombardment of political news.

His sourness about the economy, the direction of the country and his own personal finances reflects the feelings of millions of Americans. They’re the so-called undecided or persuadable voters in the seven battleground states who will decide the outcome of the 2024 election.

While the economy has stabilized, many voters have said they don’t feel it in their lives and are facing far higher prices than they once did.

While Ms. Harris quickly gained in the polls after she announced her candidacy — drawing back Democrats who were unhappy with President Biden — she is still viewed skeptically by many undecided voters. Polling shows these voters care more