US election 2024: It might just be the power of the women's vote that makes political history

ITV News Correspondent Sejal Karia spoke to women in Arizona about the issues helping them to decide who should be the next US president

In downtown Phoenix in Arizona, the street names reflect the male dominance of US presidents in American politics through the centuries.

Among Roosevelt, Jefferson, Lincoln and the rest, America is yet to see a street named after a female president because a woman is yet to reach the White House as commander-in-chief.

But in this election, it might just be the power of the women's vote that makes political history.

We joined seven entrepreneurs from the women's organisation The Sisterhood Extravaganza, which aims to empower women in business, as they discussed their role in shaping the future of their country.

All of them spoke to us in a personal capacity.

"You're not going to be able to put us back in the box anymore and this is what I'm seeing now with having a woman that is running for president," Pat Gilum told us.

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Kat McKinney said: "We need something different. We were pretty good under Trump... So he's who I'm voting for."

"It's just this hard man and I want to be in control against this woman who brings everybody to the table," Jane Ary said.

Bridget Pettis told us: "It doesn't matter if it's a woman or man in front of you, the character of a human being is the most important."

One of the key issues in this election has been about reproductive rights, in particular, abortion rights.

As well as voting in the presidential election this year, in the state of Arizona abortion is also on the ballot in a separate referendum.

A win for the “yes” camp would enshrine abortion as a fundamental right in the state.

I asked the group for their thoughts on reproductive rights.

"When government comes in and can control your body that's a huge issue," Pat told me.

"But when government came in and said that I had to take the Covid shot, that was controlling my body," Bridget replied.

"If I'm X weeks pregnant and that child is no longer viable, I should not have to keep that child in my body - I should not," Jane said.

"Are reproductive rights important to you?" I asked Bridget. "You vote for the child for being the most important", she tells me.

"So does that mean you're more inclined to vote for Mr Trump?" I asked her. "Absolutely," she replied.

Here, politics has become far more personal - it is even dividing families.

"My son and I are on opposite sides of this thing and I will tell you we had to stop talking about it because mum gets hot!" Jane said, to raucous laughter from the other women.

"My youngest son is a Trump supporter," Carmel Hood said. "And much like her we had to get to a point we stopped really having the discussion.

"He feels like the economy and the border issues right now are very, very hot topics for him," she added.

I wanted to find out whether any of the women felt pressure to vote for Kamala Harris because they were women.

Kat told me: "I am going to vote for who I think is the best choice not necessarily base it on gender or colour."

"I felt bullied in certain instances, if I don't say who I want to vote for, if I don't go with the consensus that I could be ostracised," Mechelle Tucker said.

Across town, the US elections dominate the most US of pastimes - American football.

Tailgate parties were in full swing ahead of a game between the Chicago Bears and the Arizona Cardinals.

As we head to full-time in this election, polls show more women turning out for Kamala Harris and more men for Donald Trump.

I stopped by a group of friends, both men and women, having a barbeque in the car park and enjoying a beer. They were all voting for Donald Trump.

I asked one of the men what appealed to him about the former president. He said: "Not much."

The rest of the group laughed. He went on: "It's not much but maybe the lesser of two evils, I guess, he's been there and done that, I think you know economically he's better for this country."

"I mean he's got a big mouth, he opens it too much. I'm not one of these MAGA hat-wearing zealots, but I am going to vote for the guy," another tells me.

"Who are you going to vote for madam?" I asked a woman with them. "Definitely Trump, he's going to protect women," she replied.

Another man in the group told me: "Democrats have been in office for the last 12 out of the last 16 years so people need to take that on board."

But that political consensus is not cutting across all households.

I found another group having a party. I asked a young woman in their midst which way she was voting.

"I am voting for Kamala because of abortion rights and also because I have a daughter, so that's very important to me and so I want her to grow up in an America where there's rights for them."

"What about the male members of your family?" I asked, when her dad shouted "Donald Trump!" behind her.

She went on: "They're voting for Donald Trump but that's OK. That's why we live in America so they can have their opinions and I can have mine."

But, as this race that has pulled apart a nation comes to its close, the question is whether a new president can find a way to heal a divided nation.

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