There is an old maxim in warfare that applies equally well to any conflict, like, say, an election: Never let your opponent define the terms of the contest.
It’s good advice in any test of might, be it physical, social, or intellectual. Donald Trump seems to understand this; now, with only days – hours, really – to go until the election, he is moving to hold his trademark rallies in two states generally expected to go for Kamala Harris, namely, New Mexico and Virginia.
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Former President Donald Trump is swerving off the battleground map this week to host rallies in New Mexico and Virginia — states that haven’t voted for the GOP presidential nominee in two decades and where he lost by double digits in 2020 — and he is flirting with a trip to New Hampshire.
Trump heads to Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Thursday, with his campaign newly confident that he is in such good shape to beat Vice President Kamala Harris that he can afford to divert his focus from the seven main battlegrounds the two sides have focused on for the entirety of the race.
In the RealClearPolitics (RCP) polling averages, Kamala Harris leads Donald Trump in New Mexico by 7.4 percent and Virginia by 5.8 percent. New Hampshire seems a slightly easier grab for Team Trump, with Harris leading by 4 percent.
On Monday, my colleague Nick Arama pointed out that Trump was working on expanding his electoral map.
See Related: NEW: More States in Play for Trump? Look at What’s Happening in Two More ‘Safe’ Blue States
Nick wrote:
I think at this point the Kamala Harris campaign team has to be losing their minds. Former President Donald Trump is leading in every one of the battleground states, although it’s still tight in most of them according to RealClearPolitics. He’s even leading now in the national popular vote, a feat that virtually no one predicted.
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That’s an excellent point; throughout most of this campaign, and certainly ever since Donald Trump was nominated and Kamala Harris was anointed, the Trump campaign has been by far the more aggressive of the two. Donald Trump has had Kamala Harris on her back foot since the word “go.”
See Related: Oops—Inflation Rises ‘More Than Expected.’ How Will Kamala Spin This One?
While Biden Bites Babies, Kamala Harris Tries One Last Desperate Pivot to Save Her Campaign
The rallies, while exciting and fun, likely aren’t changing many minds – but they sure as heck are raising enthusiasm and driving turnout, which is also a key task in any election.
Trump is focused on driving turnout in the countdown to Election Day, the Trump campaign official said, and part of the strategy includes hammering his closing message to draw a contrast with Harris over the pillars of his closing argument: immigration, inflation and foreign wars.
A second Trump campaign official who was granted anonymity to speak freely said that if it is going to a state, it’s because the campaign sees movement there.
This prompts some questions. Are the Trump/Vance campaign’s internal polling numbers telling them something? Something they know that we don’t? What else do they know that we don’t? The momentum, as Nick notes and as I (and pretty much all of us here at RedState) have noted, is all towards Trump. Oh, the polls are moderating a little as the election grows nearer, which always happens, but the indicators are all towards Trump.
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Don’t take it for granted, though. Don’t be complacent. Don’t let your neighbors carry the ball. Vote! Vote early if you can (a lot of you readers talked me into it, so I’ll talk you into it if I can) or vote on Election Day, but make sure you vote. Polling, trends, and indicators are great, but there is no substitute for winning.
Vote! Vote! Vote!
