Washington:
Donald Trump is taking a bold step in the final days of his presidential campaign by visiting New Mexico and Virginia, two states that have historically been difficult for Republican candidates to win.
The former president campaigned in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Thursday and was scheduled to visit Salem, Virginia, on Saturday in an effort to gain momentum and potentially turn those states red.
Trump’s team is optimistic about its chances, citing early voting numbers and the possibility of capturing the swing states of Nevada and Arizona. However, this strategy carries significant risks, as neither New Mexico nor Virginia has been carried by a Republican candidate since George W. Bush in 2004.
The battlegrounds have received a lot of attention in recent weeks, with billboards, smartphones and televisions bombarding them with political advertisements. The candidates – presidential and vice presidential candidates – have appeared 21 times in Pennsylvania, 17 in Michigan and 13 in North Carolina over the past two weeks.
Trump’s visit to Albuquerque draws attention to his immigration stance in a border state with the highest concentration of Latino voters in the country. About 44% of New Mexico’s voting population identifies as Hispanic, and the state is experiencing a rise in migrant deaths along the U.S.-Mexico border.
“If we could bring God down from heaven, he could be the vote counter and we could win this,” Trump said. He added that he is visiting New Mexico because it is “good for my credentials” with Latino voters.
Once considered a battleground state, Virginia has tended to lean Democratic in recent years. Trump lost the state to Clinton in 2016 and Biden in 2020. Still, Trump believes he has a “real chance” of winning, and his visit could focus on the recent Supreme Court ruling on voter registrations.
Democratic strategist Bob Shrum questions Trump’s strategy, saying “I don’t think there is a strategy… I think he insisted on doing it. It makes no sense”. Meanwhile, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin believes the state is more competitive than expected.
Susan Swecker, chair of the Democratic Party of Virginia, believes the visit will only make it harder for Trump to win votes. “Kamala Harris will win Virginia convincingly, as he knows, and any visit from this deranged lunatic will only increase the margin,” she said.