One week before the November 3 election, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is making a push into Republican-leaning states, while President Donald Trump plays defense, focusing on states he won in 2016 but where polls now show him trailing. On Tuesday, Biden made two campaign stops in Georgia, a state not carried by a Democratic presidential contender since 1992. He plans to visit Iowa, Florida, Wisconsin and Michigan later this week. Trump won those states in 2016, but Democrats believe Biden has a chance to claim them in 2020. Analysts say Biden’s foray into so-called “red” states like Georgia and Iowa is a sign of confidence that his campaign is expanding the electoral map. If he can carry so-called “blue” states, swing states and a few Republican strongholds, his victory in the Electoral College would be larger, potentially giving him a greater mandate to govern. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden greets supporters at a drive-in rally at Cellairis Amphitheatre in Atlanta, Oct. 27, 2020.”In politics, you always want to be on offense,” said Matthew Continetti, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. “And in a changing South, where increases in population density and a suburban revolt against President Trump’s personality benefit Democrats, Joe Biden has a chance.” From his campaign stop in Pennsylvania on Monday, Biden said he would win Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. The former vice president also said he thought he had a “fighting chance” in Ohio, North Carolina, Georgia and Iowa where polls show tight races. “I am not overconfident about anything,” Biden said. “I just want to make sure we can earn every vote possible.” Some analysts question Biden’s strategy. “This is reminiscent of (2016 Democratic nominee) Hillary Clinton’s dashing to Georgia and Arizona in the 2016 campaign’s last days, when she should have been in Wisconsin and Michigan,” said Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. “We’ll see next week.” Biden leads in polls According to the President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at MotorSports Management Company, in West Salem, Wis., Oct. 27, 2020.”There is a path for him if he loses Wisconsin or Michigan if he wins Pennsylvania,” said Amanda Iovino, a Republican strategist at WPA Intelligence. “Biden’s travel to the state, as well, shows that his campaign does not see Pennsylvania as a lock for the Democrats.” The Trump campaign is also focused on attracting minority voters in critical swing states. Nevada being on the president’s travel schedule this week is likely reflective of improving numbers with Hispanic voters, particularly Hispanic men, said Iovino. According to data from the FILE – The dome of the U.S. Capitol building is seen behind a row of U.S. flags in Washington, April 10, 2020.Analysts say that Democrats have a long to-do list if they win control of the chamber. A Democratic Senate takeover would give them “the opportunity to abolish the legislative filibuster, extend citizenship to millions of illegal immigrants, expand the Supreme Court, abolish the Electoral College, grant statehood to Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, and change fundamentally the American constitutional order,” said Continetti. “Republicans are focused on retaining control of Senate seats in Iowa, Maine, North Carolina and Georgia.” A constitutional amendment is needed to abolish the Electoral College, which requires votes from two-thirds of the House of Representatives, two-thirds of the Senate and three-fourths of the states.
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