The Trump campaign Ground War Expansion President Biden’s campaign is ramping up in Minnesota and Virginia, traditionally Democratic states, according to a new internal campaign memo.
The memo, obtained exclusively by CBS News Friday, details that the campaign is in the process of securing leases for eight “Trump Force 47” offices in Minnesota and 11 campaign offices in Virginia.
‘Trump Force 47’ is the nickname for the joint effort between the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee’s grassroots volunteer campaign program.
In addition to the office, the campaign is hiring new staff and building a team to manage ground games in Virginia and Minnesota.
The campaign believes it can add “at least 12 additional routes to 270” by adding Minnesota and Virginia to the map, according to a memo written by James Blair, the Trump campaign’s political director.
President Trump has his sights set on flipping Minnesota and Virginia after several internal election polls showed Biden’s favorability ratings weakening in those states along with his historic wins among black and Hispanic voters.
But the Republican Party hasn’t won Minnesota since Richard Nixon in 1972. Trump almost turned the state red in 2016, but ultimately lost to Hillary Clinton by less than 2%.
It’s been more than 20 years since Republicans carried Virginia in a presidential election. Mr. Biden won the state by double digits in 2020.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (Republican); I met Trump last week They discussed terms that could help increase his presence at Trump National Golf Club in Northern Virginia. Youngkin also shared polling numbers showing Mr. Trump is competitive with Mr. Biden in the state.
Regardless of his electoral history, Trump has been keen to visit states he has not won in the past in an effort to ensure that Biden’s campaign spends resources in what are generally considered safe states for re-election.
The Democratic National Committee has invested about $500,000 in Minnesota for staff, technology, outreach, email fundraising, data and operational infrastructure, and party building plans ahead of the election. A DNC spokesperson told CBS News that Trump’s campaign strategy in Minnesota did not have an impact on its own.
Meanwhile, the Biden campaign has six field offices in Virginia and has held several grassroots events.
“If Trump wants to spend time and money campaigning in blue states, be our guest,” Biden campaign spokeswoman Caroline Stoneciper said in a statement to CBS News on Friday evening.
erase will visit Virginia, June 28, one day after facing President Biden first presidential debate. This will be his second visit to Old Dominion this cycle. The former president visited Minnesota for the first time in May for a fundraiser in St. Paul.
—Scott MacFarlane, Aaron Navarro and Kathryn Watson contributed to this report.
