President Trump will be holding a rally tonight in Bemidji while former Vice President Joe Biden will be making a campaign speech at a union training center in Duluth. Why would both candidates be visiting the state, you ask? The Trump team believes they can fight for a Republican victory in November while Biden is visiting because Democrats seem to fear that losing there could be a possibility. Minnesota hasn’t voted for a Republican president since 1972 when Richard Nixon won the state, but there is potential to turn an upset for the GOP this year.
Here’s a rundown of each event and how to watch.
Trump Rally Tonight – Bemidji, Minnesota
What: President Trump rally in Bemidji, Minnesota
Date: Friday, Sept. 18, 2020
Time: 7 pm ET (6 pm CT, 5 pm MT, 4 pm PT)
Location: Bemidji Aviation Services
Live Stream:
For Trump, it’s pushing a message that resonates with rust belt voters, the same way he scored victories in Wisconsin and Michigan four years ago:
A senior campaign official told Forum News Service the president’s visit to Bemidji is to create an opportunity for more of those backing the reelection bid to hear him speak.
The official also said audience members can expect an “America first” message on trade and foreign policy and that the president is expected to speak about contrasts between his and Democratic candidate former Vice President Joe Biden’s economic agendas.
Biden Speech – Duluth, Minnesota
What: Joe Biden Campaign Stop in Duluth, Minnesota
Date: Friday, Sept. 18, 2020
Time: 4 pm ET (3 pm CT, 2 pm MT, 1 pm PT)
Live Stream:
Former Vice President Joe Biden will be making a campaign stop in Duluth hoping to cement his standing in the state and ensure he has a presence anywhere his campaign might be vulnerable:
It already had been known Biden would campaign this week in Minnesota, but details had been scarce until Wednesday, when the campaign confirmed a Duluth stop at a union training center at a to-be-determined time in the afternoon.
“I’m excited for Joe to be up here,” said Duluth’s Joel Heller, 44, a Democratic-Farmer-Labor volunteer and national delegate in 2020. “Wherever Biden goes we’re going to campaign like heck for our principles.”
Biden’s visit comes as the Trump campaign has zeroed in on Minnesota and the Northland, in particular, sending Vice President Mike Pence and the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., to Duluth in recent weeks.
Why Minnesota?
Early voting starts today in the state which has precipitated visits from both campaigns. Minnesota has been part of the “blue wall” for decades, though it came close in 2016 to flipping red. The Trump campaign believes that 2020 could be a year where the state flips, though recent polling would seem to indicate otherwise.
The polling average gives Biden a 10 point lead thanks to a recent lopsided ABC News poll which put Biden ahead, 57 percent to 41 percent, a result considered to be an outlier. If the Biden campaign believed they were 16 points ahead, they would not waste the time spending foot in the state. The real numbers are likely closer, perhaps within a handful of points, but flipping the state still remains an uphill battle for Trump.
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