Donald Trump Gambles With Late-Stage Trips To Democratic New Mexico And Virginia

Donald Trump is traveling to New Mexico and Virginia in campaign's final days, taking a risky detour from seven battleground states to spend time in places where Republican presidential candidates have not won in deces.

former president will campaign in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Thursday and Salem, Virginia, on Saturday.

Trump team is projecting optimism based in part on early voting numbers and thinks he can be competitive against Democrat Kamala Harris in both states — New Mexico in particular, if he sweeps swing states Neva and Arizona. That hope comes even though neir New Mexico nor Virginia has been carried by a GOP nominee for White House since George W. Bush in 2004.

Over past few months in particular, battleground states — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Neva, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — have seen a constant stream of candidate visits , and residents have been bombarded with political s on billboards, televisions and smartphones. In past two weeks alone, presidential and vice presidential candidates have me 21 appearances in Pennsylvania, 17 in Michigan and 13 in North Carolina.

In 43 or states, a candidate visit is an exciting novelty.

Trump retains fervent pockets of support even in states that vote overwhelmingly against him, and he can easily fill his rallies with enthusiastic supporters.

He has me or recent detours from states most at play, holding rallies at Mison Square Garden in New York and in Coachella, California — states that are even more solidly Democratic than New Mexico and Virginia. Those events satisfied Trump’s long-shot claims that he can win both states, but were also aimed at earning maximum media attention as his campaign seeks to reach voters who do not follow political news closely.

Trump also showed up in staunchly Republican Montana, and both Trump and Harris campaigned on same day last week in Texas, which Democrats last won in 1976.

Those trips served or purposes, such as highlighting issues important in a state or supporting House or Senate candidates.

“Kamala Harris’ dangerously liberal policies have failed Americans across country — from Bronx, to Virginia, and New Mexico — which is why President Trump is bringing his America First message and vision for hardworking families right to ir front door,” said Anna Kelly, a spokesperson for Republican National Committee.

Trump's strategy carries risk.

After losing to Trump in 2016, Democrat Hillary Clinton was criticized for going to Arizona late in campaign inste of spending time in Wisconsin, Michigan or Pennsylvania, states that ended up deciding that election. Arizona is now a battleground, but it wasn't considered particularly competitive eight years ago, when it voted for Trump by a 4-percentage point margin.

“I don’t think re’s any strategy,” said Bob Shrum, a longtime Democratic political consultant who worked on numerous presidential campaigns and now les Center for Political Future at University of Sourn California. “I think he insisted on doing it. It makes no sense.”

planned visit to Albuquerque brings Trump and his immigration stance to a border state with nation’s highest concentration of Latino voters, highlighting campaign for Hispanic supporters.

About 44% of voting-age population in New Mexico identifies as Hispanic. Many have centuries-old ties to Mexican and Spanish settlements, while state has a smaller share of foreign-born residents than national average.

At same time, federal and local authorities in New Mexico are dealing with a surge in migrant deaths along U.S. border with Mexico .

Trump’s visit has implications for a congressional swing district stretching from Albuquerque to border with Mexico. It's now held by a Democrat as Republicans look to hold onto ir narrow House majority. Immigration has been a major issue in race.

Also on ballot, Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich is seeking a third term against Republican Nella Domenici. She is daughter of late Republican Sen. Pete Domenici, who served six terms, from 1973 to 2009 and was last New Mexico Republican elected to Senate.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. remains on ballot in New Mexico, and roside campaign signs for Kennedy popped up across capital city of Santa Fe in late October, about two months after Kennedy’s withdrawal from race and endorsement of Trump.

New Mexico voters have twice rebuffed Trump at polls, and Democrats hold every statewide elected position, all three congressional seats and majorities in state House and Senate.

While Virginia was considered a battleground as recently as 2012, it has trended toward Democrats in past dece, especially in populous norrn Virginia suburbs.

Trump lost state to Clinton in 2016 and Democrat Joe Biden in 2020 . This year, Democrats and ir allies in presidential race have spent nearly twice as much as Republicans on s in Virginia, data show, though it pales in comparison to spending in battleground states.

“We have a real chance,” Trump said while phoning into a Richmond-area rally on Saturday .

Trump, while in Virginia, is likely to speak about Wednesday’s Supreme Court ruling leaving in place a purge of voter registrations that state says is aimed at stopping people who are not U.S. citizens from voting.

high court, over dissents of three liberal justices, granted an emergency appeal from Virginia’s Republican ministration led by Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

Speaking to Fox News' Bret Baier on Wednesday night, Youngkin said from what he's seeing on ground, “Virginia is far more competitive than any of pundits would have believed.”

He noted that two years after Biden won by 10 percentage points in 2020, he won as governor.

”Virginians are rey for strength back in White House," he said.

Susan Swecker, chairwoman of Democratic Party of Virginia, said Trump’s scheduled visit to Salem on Saturday would only widen Harris’ le in state.

“Kamala Harris will win Virginia convincingly, as he knows, and any visit from this deranged lunatic will only widen margin,” Swecker said.