Updated: 2:20 p.m.
Former President Donald Trump plans to return to Minnesota next week, hoping to add the state to his electoral calculations despite his past two losses.
President Trump reportedly told donors and others there was a path to flipping Minnesota, which Democrats have long focused on more than any other state in the presidential race. A Republican hasn't won Minnesota since President Richard Nixon's landslide re-election in 1972.
Trump was announced Monday as the featured speaker at the Minnesota Republican Party's major fundraising dinner. The Lincoln-Reagan Dinner will be held in conjunction with the Republican state convention in St. Paul, which begins May 17th.
Trump narrowly lost Minnesota to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016, but lost to current President Joe Biden in 2020 by a 7 percentage point margin.
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At one of his final Minnesota rallies on the campaign trail four years ago, he told supporters he needed to deliver a victory or he would turn his back on the state. “We lost Minnesota. We're not coming back,” he said in Duluth in September 2020.
U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer is the chair of President Trump's 2024 effort in Minnesota.
“I couldn't be more excited to welcome President Trump and formally launch my 2024 campaign,” Emmer said in a news release, criticizing Biden's “policy failures” and “moving our country forward.” President Trump is the only option to do so.” ”
Recent polls show a tighter race between Biden and Trump in Minnesota than last time. Democrats say they are preparing for a tough fight to keep their 10 electoral votes.
“By doubling down on Donald Trump and his MAGA policies, Minnesota Republicans are tying their fate to him in November,” DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin said in a written statement, adding that the Republican Party in Minnesota is tying its fate to him in November. It condemned President Trump's role in the restrictions and condemned previous attempts to repeal the policy nationwide. The Health Insurance Act and the refusal to admit defeat in 2020. “Republicans up and down the voting list will have to answer why they would abandon Minnesota values and kiss Donald Trump's ring.”
Trump's ability to campaign during weekdays is limited and he is required to attend four days a week while his hush money trial continues in New York.
Trump campaigned last week in neighboring Wisconsin and Michigan, battleground states high on his list of 2024 targets.