TRUMP IS REDRAWING THE ELECTION MAP, TO REPUBLICANS’ PERIL
Nathan Shrader, assistant professor of political science at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, says a general election visit to the state by a presidential candidate is rare, and that’s ginned up plenty of local excitement about the rally. But Shrader called the visit “kind of perplexing,” particularly after the campaign canceled two rallies this week in the swing states of Colorado and Nevada. “I think you have something happening here where their campaign is becoming increasingly worried that if things keep going the way they’ve been going, they may get wiped out,” says Shrader. So it wants to at least shore up the base, he hypothesizes. Mississippi Republican Party Chairman Joe Nosef, however, says he doesn’t think it hurts for Trump to hold a rally in Mississippi while he also visits the state for a fundraiser. It not only motivates local Republicans to engage in the election at home but also may lead them to do canvassing and other volunteer work in nearby states like Florida, which are more competitive. “It sort of fires up the troops,” Nosef says.
Newsweek
8/25/16
Magnolia Tribune
