Would a Trump visit to Minnesota help or harm GOP candidates in the midterms?
President Trump is teasing a campaign stop in Minnesota, a move that experts say could end up doing more harm than good for candidates running in statewide races.
In a sit-down interview with Newsmax, Mr. Trump responded to a question asking if he'd go to Minnesota.
"I think I'm going to go. I just left, literally just before this interview, I told my people 'set up one or two [Minnesota campaign stops],'" Trump said.
Professor Larry Jacobs, a political expert with the University of Minnesota, said that a presidential visit would be good news for various Republican candidates up and down the ballot who are relying on rightwing voters actually showing up to vote.
"For some Republicans, having the president come to Minnesota is a dream come true," Jacobs said. "The president coming to Minnesota is a great way to energize the base of the Republican Party, increase that turnout and give the Democrats a good fight."
But Jacobs said Trump's potential visit may not be as welcome to those running at the top of the ticket in major statewide races. His fellow political expert at Hamline University, Professor David Schultz, agrees.
"According to the public opinion polls, Trump is deeply, deeply unpopular in the state of Minnesota," Schultz said.
That spells potential trouble for Republican hopefuls in the U.S. Senate, governor and attorney general races.
Polls suggest that the Senate race between DFL Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Republican former NFL reporter Michele Tafoya are tight. There's also little to separate DFL incumbent Attorney General Keith Ellison and Republican challenger Ron Schutz.
In both races, Republicans will be trying to win statewide races for the first time in decades, meaning independent and undecided voters will be critical. The president's influence could push voters away from the Republican candidates, according to both Jacobs and Schultz.
Tafoya is already evidently distancing herself from the president, responding to Esme Murphy's questions about his endorsement on "Talking Points" by pivoting to talking about working to win votes from Minnesotans.
"There is one endorsement that I care about and that is the one that happened on Nov. 3," Tafoya said. "Truly, this is about Minnesota."
In a statement, DFL Party Chair Richard Carlbom challenged Republicans running in Minnesota to say whether they would campaign with the president directly.
"It's very telling these candidates suddenly don't want to be seen with Donald two weeks before the election," Carlbom said in part. "You can't have it both ways."
