What is the quickest way for the president to reach 270 votes?

Answer 1

That depends on the party and the situation at the time of the election. In recent years, several states are considered to be locked into one party or the other already. DC, for example, can always be counted on to vote for the Democratic candidate. Thus each candidate figures how many votes they have already and then tries to figure where to go for the balance needed to reach 270. The fastest way is to focus on the largest of the contested states.

Answer 2

The swing states are critical for building electoral votes. There is no magic process to convince voters on how to vote.