The 2020 President Election is gaining momentum as Minnesota sets the ball rolling by becoming one of the first states to begin its early voting. Donald Trump wants a second term in the White House. He faces Joe Biden of the Democratic Party, who wants to deny him another term as President. Both the stalwarts arrived in Minnesota on Friday to hold rallies.
The former chose Bemidji's airport as his venue while the latter opted for a union training center in Duluth, 150 miles away.
The date is significant as it marks the first day of the state's early voting period. Incidentally, many voters could go in for the mail-in voting option because of the ongoing pandemic and personal safety since the disease is highly contagious. Medics advise to wear facemasks, avoid crowds, and maintain social distancing. The worst part is that no known medicine for this coronavirus and efforts are on to create a vaccine.
Daily Mail UK says Secretary of State Steve Simon indicated people would be encouraged to vote from home. He explained that balancing the number of polling booths against voters' total numbers would be a difficult task.
Moreover, voting from home would be preferable in the interest of public health.
The campaign of Donald Trump will not limit attendance
Democratic Governor Tim Walz has communicated to both camps to adhere to the state's guidelines regarding precautions against coronavirus. One of these pertains to crowd management in terms of numbers. Apart from that, there are standard precautions like social distancing and facemasks. These are necessary for indoor events, while masks are strongly encouraged for outdoor events. Daily Mail UK adds Donald Trump held events in Nevada and Arizona recently and violated the state's restrictions to check the spread of the pandemic. Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party assured Democrats would abide by the state recommendations.
Both Donald Trump and Joe Biden are the contenders with different agendas. Each is trying to woo the voters into his fold.
Bemidji is the choice of Donald Trump for his Minnesota rally
Bemidji in Beltrami County is the birthplace of the fictional Paul Bunyon. It had favored Donald Trump in 2016 in the northern area of the state, referred to as the Iron Range. People associate it with mining and manufacturing. The campaign of Donald Trump wants to win Minnesota. In 2016, it had gone to Hillary Clinton by a narrow margin. Vice President Mike Pence told a section of the media – "We're actually looking at expanding the map now. I've been campaigning in Minnesota. So has the President. We think Minnesota is in play." The state has ten electoral votes, and a recent poll reveals Joe Biden led in the state by 16 points.
Donald Trump had lost to Joe Biden in the convention speech ratings. Moreover, Richard Nixon, a Republican, had won Minnesota in 1972, and no other Republican has won it since then.
Donald Trump feels a win in Minnesota could offset loses elsewhere
According to The Guardian, early voting began in three states. There are Minnesota, Virginia, and South Dakota. Virginia, until recently a swing state, is now Democratic like Minnesota while South Dakota is Republican. There were queues outside polling stations. The administrations are encouraging voting by mail because of coronavirus.
However, Donald Trump continues to attack this process. He fears possibilities of widespread fraud. Incidentally, Donald Trump wants to win Minnesota.
He made regular visits to the state and defined revised policies for the locals to win them over. In his opinion, a win in Minnesota could offset losses elsewhere. The state witnessed protests against racism and police brutality after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May. It led to a law and order situation.