Next week, President Biden and former President Trump will have their first debate for the 2024 election. After that, they will hold rallies in southern states to try to win more support.
After the debate on Thursday evening in Atlanta, Georgia, President Biden will go to North Carolina on Friday. He’ll hold a rally there, hoping to win the state he narrowly lost to Trump in 2020.
Meanwhile, Trump will hold a rally in Virginia on Friday. He lost Virginia by 10 points in the last election, and a Republican hasn’t won Virginia in a presidential race since George W. Bush in 2004.
But recent polls show a close race between Biden and Trump.
A Fox News poll from June 1-4 shows both Biden and Trump with 48% support in a head-to-head match.
In a race with more candidates, Biden has 42%, Trump has 41%, Democrat-turned-independent Robert K. Kennedy has 9%, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein and independent Cornel West each have 2%.
Dave Richards, a political science professor, says the close race in Virginia shows the state is politically divided.
At a private Republican National Committee meeting in Florida, Trump campaign advisers shared internal surveys suggesting that both Minnesota and Virginia could be won by Trump.
Virginia’s Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin believes the state is competitive and will join Trump at his rally next week, sparking rumors that Youngkin might be considered as a potential running mate for Trump.
Biden’s rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, is part of his effort to be the first Democrat since Obama in 2008 to win the state. He narrowly lost North Carolina by 74,000 votes in 2020.
Biden’s campaign has increased its presence in North Carolina and run many ads. This will be Biden’s fourth visit to the state this year, aiming to win over new residents who have moved there since the last election.
Michael Bitzer, a politics professor, says Biden’s campaign sees a chance to win North Carolina, but they need to invest in strong local operations to make it happen.