Now that it has officially been confirmed that this year’s US presidential election will be a rerun of the 2020 contest between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, the emergence of key international issues such as Ukraine and Gaza are likely to ensure the campaign does not pursue the traditional path of concentrating on mainly domestic issues.
In previous years, American presidential contests have tended to be dominated by key domestic issues, such as the state of the economy and illegal migration.
James Carville, a key strategist in former US President Bill Clinton’s 1992 election campaign, famously said, "It's the economy, stupid,” when asked what would be the deciding issue in the campaign has resonated with American politicians ever since.
As a result, US presidential elections have tended to focus almost exclusively on the status of the national economy.
The emphasis on domestic issues even resulted in former US President George W. Bush securing re-election to serve a second term in 2006 despite the controversy surrounding his controversial invasion of Iraq.
Read more: In the US, domestic issues dwarf foreign policy concerns
A different turn
However, this year’s US presidential contest is likely to take a different turn, with the respective candidates’ approach to the conflicts currently taking place in Ukraine and Gaza likely to take centre stage.
Domestic issues will still be an important factor in determining how Americans cast their votes on November 5th.
Both Democrats and Republicans will debate the Biden administration’s handling of the economy and the long-standing issue of illegal immigration, which became the defining issue of Donald Trump’s presidency.
Indeed, the latest Wall Street data suggests the American economy is performing better than expected, with gross domestic product figures indicating that, after adjustments for inflation, growth increased by 4.9% last year.
