Trump’s Fight To Flip Blue States In November

Written by Brandon Goldman

What’s happening: Former President Donald Trump has plans to expand his campaign to Virginia, New Mexico, Minnesota, New York, and New Jersey in the November election if he wins the GOP nomination. Despite most of these states being Democratic strongholds in presidential elections, Trump believes he can make inroads with disaffected voters.

• Feeling out the crowd: Trump even floated the idea of a future campaign rally at New York’s Madison Square Garden after receiving a warm welcome at a UFC event there. He lost the state in 2020 by nearly two million votes.

Why it matters: General elections often come down to a few toss-up states such as Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Arizona. With President Joe Biden’s historically low approval, there may be room for Trump to win over large swaths of Independent voters, throwing a wrench into the election. A win in even one of these states would significantly tip the scales in Trump’s favor.

• Old Dominion: The most realistic state of the bunch is Virginia, pushed to the right in recent years by its education-focused Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Virginia holds 13 electoral votes, which could easily sway the election to the Republican in a close race.

• The trap for Biden: If the polls show Trump making progress in these states, Biden may focus more of his campaign on winning them — and less on much-needed swing states.