Donald Trump is executing a daring strategy in the final stretch of his presidential campaign by targeting New Mexico and Virginia, two historically challenging states for Republicans.
On Thursday, Trump campaigned in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and has plans to visit Salem, Virginia, on Saturday. His team is hopeful, citing positive early voting trends and potential victories in swing states like Nevada and Arizona. However, this move is risky; no Republican has won New Mexico or Virginia since George W. Bush in 2004.
In recent weeks, these battleground states have been inundated with political advertising. Presidential and vice-presidential candidates have made multiple appearances in key states, with Pennsylvania seeing 21 visits, Michigan 17, and North Carolina 13 in just two weeks.
Trump’s Albuquerque visit underscored his immigration policies in a state with the highest percentage of Latino voters in the U.S. Approximately 44% of New Mexico’s voting-age population is Hispanic, a significant demographic as the state faces increasing migrant deaths along the U.S.-Mexico border.
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Trump whimsically hoped for divine intervention in vote counting and noted that his visit could bolster his standing among Latino voters. “If we could bring God down from heaven, he could be the vote counter, and we could win this,” he remarked.
Although Virginia has leaned Democratic in recent elections, losing there to Clinton in 2016 and Biden in 2020, Trump is optimistic about reversing the trend, possibly influenced by the recent Supreme Court ruling on voter registrations.
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Critics, however, question the efficacy of Trump’s strategy. Democratic strategist Bob Shrum remarked, “I don’t think there’s any strategy… I think he insisted on doing it. It makes no sense.” Meanwhile, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin considers the state more competitive than many assume.
Democratic Party of Virginia Chairwoman Susan Swecker criticized Trump’s efforts, predicting a strong win for Kamala Harris and suggesting that Trump’s presence could further alienate voters. “Kamala Harris will win Virginia convincingly, as he knows, and any visit from this deranged lunatic will only widen the margin,” she stated.
