Trump and Harris both stumble into enemy territory during the home stretch, and House is left stumped.

Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to the bastions of their opposition parties this weekend to rally support. Some analysts view Trump’s rally in Madison Square Garden – in the heart of deep-blue New York – as a sign he is on the offensive, while Harris’ stop in Texas appears to indicate she is losing support with sides of key blocs of Democratic voters.

A native New Yorker, Trump has long insisted he can turn the state red as the city succumbs to an influx of illegal immigration and rising crime. While the Empire State is not expected to be competitive nationally, it remains the site of key battles in the fight for control of the House of Representatives.

Trump is scheduled to hold a Sunday rally in Madison Square Garden, the centerpiece of one of the country’s main Democratic bastions. Trump spent a lot of time in the Big Apple during his money trial earlier this year, but mostly held small campaign stops and rallies outside the city.

Trump’s supposed ability to fill an iconic seat in the heart of New York appears to have angered some Democratic heavyweights. For example, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently appeared on CNN, accusing him of sought to reproduce the site was the site of the infamous 1939 Nazi rally.

Trump, for his part, advertised many times The near-successful 2022 gubernatorial race of former Rep. Lee Zeldin, D-N.Y., which was widely credited with helping Republicans close down the vote in flipped competitive districts and capture the House. “And so I say to the people of New York, where crime is at record levels, with terrorists and criminals pouring in, and inflation eating away at your hearts, vote for Donald Trump. What the hell do you have to lose? Trump said last month at a rally in Uniondale.

Symbolic significance

The potentially crowded and world-famous site in the heart of Democratic territory holds some symbolic significance for Trump. As he stands on the brink of returning to the White House, the crowded rally outside the site of his unprecedented criminal prosecution could serve as a major rebuke to the “weaponized” federal government and the “political laws” he opposes.

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Harris, for her part, traveled to Houston, Texas, for Friday’s abortion rights rally. Texas has one of the strictest abortion bans in the country, and the issue helped boost Democratic turnout in the 2020 midterm elections after the law was repealed. Roe v. Wade.

Texas is not expected to be competitive at the presidential level, although the Senate race is closer than expected, and the Lone Star State also hosts several House races. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, a staunch conservative, also faces a major challenge from Democratic challenger Colin Allred.

The House race appears to be a key moment for presidential candidates in Texas and New York. The current Lower House is split almost evenly, although Republicans have a slim majority.

“I’m a little surprised Harris is going to Texas for his final game, but Trump continues to hold rallies in New York,” the pollster said. Mark Pennformer Democratic Party strategist, said Newsweek” “Both are interested not only in winning the presidency, but also in the House and Senate, and both of their visits only make sense in that context.”

Although Texas has historically been a Republican bastion, it has increasingly shown tighter margins in presidential races, and Democrats continue to invest in the state in hopes of eventually swinging the electoral votes. But Democrats seem less concerned about actually winning the state and apparently view the seat as an attention grabber.

“Texas is the stage and the audience is the battlefield… It definitely gets people’s attention, which is hard to do just by going back to another battlefield at this point in the cycle. This is our strategic way of delivering news,” said Harris campaign spokesman said Politician.

The focus on abortion at Harris’ event was part of an effort to build support among women by highlighting the consequences of abortion bans such as those in Texas. But the Texas electorate is symbolic of a broader problem for Harris. Given the large number of Black and Latino voters who have deep Christian roots, the state could swing back toward Republicans as Trump begins to make inroads with both groups.

Poll data increasingly shows Trump gaining ground among minorities, particularly black men, whom the Harris campaign has struggled to galvanize despite personal help from former President Barack Obama.

“Part of it makes me think that, well, you just don’t like the idea of ​​having a woman as president and you’re coming up with other alternatives and reasons for it.” Obama said group of black voters this month at an event in Philadelphia.

How to avoid “Trump is Hitler” ads

Moreover, falling national support for Harris among key voting blocs risks harming candidates who voted absentee. Indeed, some Senate candidates began distancing themselves from Harris and instead emphasizing their agreement with Trump in campaign ads.

Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., for example, ran an ad saying he “sided with Trump to repeal NAFTA and impose tariffs on China to stop him from cheating.” It is noteworthy that New York Kirsten Gillibrand stars in commercials proclaiming “people before party” and eschewing Harris’ latest campaign narrative, “Trump is Hitler.”

Trump himself is apparently aware of the implications for competitive House races in strongly partisan states. Earlier this month, he held a rally in Coachella, California. The Golden State is home to many Republican representatives, despite its robust Democratic status in statewide elections.

“California is a lost paradise, but we are bringing it back,” he said. “California was a beacon of what our country aspired to become. This is true. Everything was here. It was weather. There was water. The state had the best schools, the safest communities, and a thriving middle class. But all of this has been eradicated by decades of the very policies that Kamala Harris now wants to impose on America.”

Democrats sharply derided Trump’s efforts to campaign in blue states, but the campaign offered an explanation for its actions similar to Harris’s.

“The location of his rallies matters less in this nationalized media environment,” Trump campaign communications director. Stephen Cheung told CNN. “His message reaches all major media markets, no matter what he does. And the bigger the rally, the more attention it will get, right? I mean Madison Square Garden? You guys have to cover this.”