President Trump’s reelection campaign announced Friday he will hold a rally in Rio Rancho, N.M., on Sept. 16 as he tries to expand the electoral map before the 2020 race.
“We have seen an economic boom in New Mexico since President Trump took office. While President Obama lost 1,900 jobs, President Trump has added 34,600 jobs in the state,” said Michael Glassner, chief operating officer of the Trump campaign. “President Trump has delivered on his promises, and he looks forward to celebrating those successes with the great men and women of New Mexico.”
{mosads}The rally will be held in the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, a multipurpose facility that says it seats about 6,000 for hockey and rodeos and up to 7,500 for concerts.
New Mexico, along with Nevada and New Hampshire, is a top target for the Trump campaign that allies believe the president can flip in 2020 after losing in 2016.
“I think he can win New Hampshire, which he didn’t win; I think Nevada is very competitive and the state has trended much more left recently, but that’s a very competitive state,” former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, who is weighing a Senate bid in New Hampshire against incumbent Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D), told Hill.TV Thursday. “If you look at New Mexico, we can put it in play.”
Trump will face an uphill battle in New Mexico, known as the Land of Enchantment — the state went for Hillary Clinton in 2016 by more than 8 points and voted for President Obama in 2008 and 2012.
The state also has a heavy Latin American population, with Hispanics making up 46.4 percent of the entire state, and borders Mexico, making it a prime staging ground for a fight over the administration’s hardline immigration policies.
Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), who is running for the Democratic nomination for New Mexico’s open senate seat, mocked Trump’s feud with the press about Alabama and Hurricane Dorian.
“I know President Trump has trouble with maps, but he knows New Mexico isn’t in Mexico right?” Lujan tweeted before criticizing the rally, which will be held in his district.
“Rio Rancho is in my district, and anyone who undermines the safety, security, or way of life of our communities, isn’t welcome here,” Luján tweeted. “His callous and racist policies hurt our families each and every day.”
The president has steadily increased the frequency of his campaign events in recent months as the Democratic primary begins to heat up, holding rallies in Florida, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania, all swing states in the general election.