GOP Presses Edge in Key Battlegrounds
WASHINGTON (AP) A full year before Election Day 2020, Republicans quietly executed a dry run of President Donald Trumps massive reelection machine.
They activated tens of thousands of volunteers and tested phone bank capabilities and get-out-the-vote operations in every state in the nation. Before and after the sprawling exercise, GOP officials coordinated thousands of so-called MAGA Meet ups to organize and expand their network of Trump loyalists, paying close attention to battlegrounds like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
nd on Tuesday, Trump himself will face thousands more cheering supporters in Pennsylvania, his fourth appearance in the swing state this year.
The nations best known Democrats, meanwhile, are pouring most of their time and resources into the states that matter most in their primary fight: Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. Three of the four will be considered swing states next November, but they are far from the biggest electoral prizes come Election Day 2020.
Defiant Democrats insist that Trump is not getting a free pass in the nations top general election battlegrounds. They note that the dry run played out on the same week that Republicans suffered embarrassing losses across several states. But others are willing to acknowledge the reality: Much of the Democratic Partys energy and star power will ignore critical swing states like Pennsylvania for much of the next six months.
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2019/12/10/a_free_pass_for_trump_gop_presses_edge_in_key_battlegrounds_141923.html