Experts believe four previously “safe” blue states – Minnesota, New Mexico, Virginia and New Hampshire – could turn into battlegrounds amid Biden’s weakened campaign.
The president has suffered a series of setbacks in recent weeks since his dismal showdown with Donald Trump in the presidential debate.
Now Democrats are warning that historically Democratic states could lose their majorities in November.
Biden comfortably won all four states in 2020, but recent models suggest support may be waning.
A poll indicates that there is a technical tie in Virginia. New York Times reports. The state has not voted Republican since 2004.
Experts believe four ‘safe’ blue states could turn into battlegrounds amid Biden’s weakened campaign
Another shows Trump making gains in New Hampshire, which has been a Democratic stronghold since 2000.
Meanwhile, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report downgraded Minnesota and New Hampshire from “likely” Biden wins to just leaning his way.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan reportedly told sources she fears for her job.
His state has a high proportion of Hispanic men, a demographic Biden is struggling to win over.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, said there was “a lot of work to do” to achieve another victory. His state has historically opted for third-party candidates.
Even in Democratic strongholds like New York and Oregon, there are fears that Biden’s majority is slipping, sources told the NYT.
Polls found Biden holding a single-digit lead over Trump.
Minnesota, New Mexico, Virginia and New Hampshire could become purple battlegrounds
Trump’s team has said it hopes to capitalize on the turmoil, with a June memo stating the Republican Party hopes to open 11 campaign offices in Virginia and Minnesota.
Trump’s team has said it hopes to capitalize on the turmoil, with a June memo stating the Republican Party hopes to open 11 campaign offices in Virginia and Minnesota.
“President Trump is appealing to voters across the political spectrum, including those in so-called blue states like Virginia, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico and New Jersey, with his agenda of cutting costs, securing the border and restoring peace through strength,” RNC spokeswoman Anna Kelly told the NYT.
The campaign received a financial boost from Elon Musk, who recently backed Trump with a donation of an undisclosed amount.
Trump has also previously boasted about competing in heavily Democratic states like New Jersey, but Biden’s team has dismissed that as “boasting.”
“This election will be decided by a subset of voters in a narrow set of battlegrounds, but only the Biden-Harris campaign is investing in reaching and persuading those voters, with more than 200 offices and 1,200 staff,” Dan Kanninen, Biden’s campaign director for battleground states, said in a statement.
Biden’s performance has been declining since his poor showing against Donald Trump during the June 27 presidential debate.
“We have multiple paths to victory and we will not take any voter for granted in our campaign to win.”
This comes amid projections that Biden could also lose three key states amid backlash to his repeated gaffes.
One expert said the president has “just as much chance of surviving on Mars” as he does of winning the three key states: Georgia, Pennsylvania and Michigan.
A bipartisan poll in the key state of Wisconsin put Trump with a five percentage point lead over Biden after the June 27 debate.
Biden fell behind by a similar margin once third-party candidates were considered.
However, he has remained steadfast in his intention to continue running despite calls from 20 Democrats asking him to withdraw.
Several polls have suggested that Biden’s chances have not been too harmed by his recent gaffes, which this week included referring to Ukrainian President Zelensky as Putin.
NPR and Marist College polls put Biden and Trump almost evenly matched.