It rained heavily last night in Phoenix Arizona from where I write this. The first proper desert 'winter' rainfall. 

I believe there has been good weather some days in Northern Ireland recently because I was sent pictures of it. But all I know about is weather in the southwest US which has been fabulous everywhere over the last fortnight, California, Arizona, Nevada. Day after day of 20 Celsius to 27C (about 70 Fahrenheit to 80F). Like the best summer days in NI, sunny and warm but not too hot.

I have been in America mostly on holiday but I wanted to be here during the election and will be writing plenty about it. When I left I wrote a piece saying Kamala Harris is not far enough head to win. There have been erratic polls since including some this weekend that suggest she is going to win easily. But also polls that suggest Donald Trump is ahead in the popular vote and so will walk the electoral college. I am writing more about this for tomorrow's paper but I still think the core data is better for him.

Ten days ago I attended a Trump rally in Las Vegas, in the swing state of Nevada. I wrote about it in this article, and how well he handles such events.

On Thursday here in Phoenix I was at a Kamala Harris rally, and in this article I write about the contrast. Later that night I was at a Trump event in the Arizona capital. Yesterday I was at a rally by Donald Trump's Scots Irish running mate, JD Vance.

Among the other opinion pieces we have on this contest, the Alliance Party political operative turned Anglican priest Gerry Lynch also thinks that Donald Trump is going to win. 

I will be writing about this contest, and we will have opinion articles on it, every day in the coming week.

Enjoy your Sunday and your reading,

Ben