Democrats are crawling all over the Midwest, hoping to bring States like Wisconsin and Michigan back into the Blue column. If they can, they think they can deny Donald Trump a second term. But there’s another side to the story. There were several other States Trump barely lost—and he’s out to get them.
For instance, Trump is campaigning in New Hampshire this week, according to the Boston Globe.
President Trump, who lost New Hampshire by the slimmest of margins in 2016, will kick off his bid to flip the state into his column Thursday, mustering his fan base with a nighttime rally in Manchester in the same week that a crowd of Democratic candidates are pitching locals on how they can beat him. . .
Polls and interviews suggest the political terrain will be challenging for Trump, who lost New Hampshire to Hillary Clinton by fewer than 3,000 votes, or less than half of a percentage point, the second-tightest margin after Michigan in the general election.
But it won’t be easy. Predictably, New Hampshire’s Republicans love Trump and Democrats hate him, but the important story is among independents.
The latest poll from the University of New Hampshire reflects a hardened political battlefield. . . Trump’s support among independent voters dropped during the same period, from 55 percent last August to 40 percent in the latest survey.
It’s a worrying sign for Trump, given that undeclared voters — those not registered with a party — make up more than 40 percent of New Hampshire’s electorate.
The Hill notes that Democrats felt they needed to issue a statement.
More than 20 Democratic presidential campaigns on Wednesday united against President Trump ahead of his visit to New Hampshire, issuing a joint statement attacking the president’s “hateful rhetoric” while saying he has a record of siding with the wealthiest class. . .
“Donald Trump’s presidency has been defined by broken promises, hateful rhetoric, and choosing to side with lobbyists and the top 1 percent at the expense of everyone else. This week, when he comes to New Hampshire we expect more of the same,” the statement reads.
It’s clear that the tight race in 2016 may make Trump hopeful for 2020, but some think he is visiting New Hampshire for another reason.
But the state’s establishment GOP class is worried he’ll use the event to do something else: Talk up Corey Lewandowski’s potential 2020 Senate bid. . . Former GOP Sen. Judd Gregg took to the pages of New Hampshire’s biggest newspaper to deride Lewandowski as a “thug.”
Senior members of the Trump political team adamantly disagree. They argue that Lewandowski — one of the president’s staunchest and most visible defenders — would amp up conservative energy and reinvigorate the coalition of blue-collar voters that powered Trump’s decisive 2016 primary win the state. . .
The president’s team has taken a keen interest in Lewandowski’s deliberations. After narrowly losing New Hampshire in 2016, the Trump campaign has launched an aggressive effort to win the state’s four electoral votes. Those close to the president envision Trump and Lewandowski waging a synchronized campaign focused on conservative and middle-class voters.
Meanwhile, Trump is also focusing on the Midwest. Specifically, he has targeted Minnesota, which he only lost by a little over one percent of the vote. And Fox thinks he has a chance, because of one word: “socialism.” Plus continued attacks on freshman Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar.
A July Economist/YouGov poll found that only 25% of Americans said they have a favorable view of Omar, and an internal Democratic poll of likely swing voters — white voters with two years or less of college education — showed just 9 percent support for Omar. Yes, you read that correctly: 9%. This is particularly interesting because, like most states in the Midwest, Minnesota has more non-college-educated white swing voters than many other regions.
By the way, the same survey of likely swing voters also found support for socialism is just 18 percent, another good sign for Trump.
Another Hillary State Trump has targeted is Nevada, according to the Nevada Independent
Having barely lost Nevada in 2016, President Donald Trump will make a play for the state . . .“Nevada is one of the ones we think we can win,” Tim Murtaugh, the Trump campaign’s director of communications, told a group of regional reporters Friday. “We’ll be involved in Nevada.”. . .
“Knowing how close he was the last time, with a superior ground game, now, our political guys think we can win,” he continued.
It would be ironic if Democrats spent all their time trying to win back Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania only to neglect New Hampshire, Minnesota, and Nevada.
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