'I'm Going To Make A Heavy Play': Trump Looking To Start Another Political Earthquake With Aggressive Electoral Strategy

In a lengthy interview, leading Republican presidential candidate and 45th President Donald Trump announced an aggressive expansion of his electoral strategy heading into 2024, which is expected to focus on Democrat-dominated states that have become increasingly competitive in recent years, including New Mexico, New Jersey, Virginia, Minnesota, and even New York.

While Trump has laid out his intention to challenge Biden in these more difficult states for Republicans, he will continue to focus on the key swing states essential for his victory, including Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Pennsylvania. 

"One of the other things I'm going to do — and I may be foolish in doing it — is I'm going to make a heavy play for New York, heavy play for New Jersey, heavy play for Virginia, heavy play for New Mexico, and a heavy play for a state that hasn't been won in years, Minnesota," Trump said in a lengthy interview with Breitbart. "I'm going to do rallies, I'm going to do speeches, I'm going to work them. That doesn't mean I'm going to work them as hard as I work Pennsylvania, where I'm doing very well."

Trump has been dominating President Biden in every swing state less than a year from the general election and holds a 2.3 percent polling advantage in the Real Clear Politics polling average. Given this fact, Trump's chances of winning in states like Minnesota and Virginia could be within reach. 

In Virginia, where a Republican presidential candidate hasn't won since George W. Bush in 2004, Trump is only trailing Biden by single digits, with some polls even having the two tied. Trump lost Virginia by over 10 points in the 2020 election. However, Gov. Glenn Youngkin's (R-VA) success in 2021 could prove to be a winning strategy for Trump in 2024.

In New York, a state that a Republican presidential candidate hasn't won since Ronald Reagan in 1984, Trump is trailing Biden by around 10 points. Trump lost The Empire State by over 23 percent in the 2020 election. While these may seem like long odds, former GOP gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin's (R-NY) near upset in 2022 is a likely source of inspiration for Manhattan native Donald Trump.

New Jersey is also a place of interest for the leading Republican presidential candidate. The last GOP candidate to win the state was George H. W. Bush in 1988. Biden defeated Trump in the state by over 15 percent, but the 2021 gubernatorial election strategy of challenger Jack Ciattarelli (R-NJ) could be a model for the 45th president. That election saw Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ) narrowly defeat Ciattarelli by only 3.2 percent.

Biden's lead in Minnesota is also slipping, with recent polling showing Trump just two or three points behind the sitting president. The state was last won by Richard Nixon in 1972, and Biden defeated Trump by only seven points in the 2020 election. The Land Of 1,000 Lakes was even more competitive in 2016, which saw Hillary Clinton barely hold on to the state with less than a two percent advantage.

Lastly, New Mexico is also in the single digits for Trump come 2024, with recent polling showing Biden with around an eight-point lead on Trump. President Trump lost the state by over 10 points in 2020, and the last candidate to win the state was President Bush in 2004.

President Trump's more aggressive strategy heading into the 2024 campaign could cause huge headaches for Democrats who aren't used to having to fight for states that have voted for Democrats for decades. If Trump is able to make considerable headway, particularly in close states like Virginia and Minnesota, he could cause yet another political earthquake just like in 2016.

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