President Donald Trump is planning a campaign rally in Saginaw County Thursday, one day after his Democratic rival is scheduled to visit the state.
Trump is scheduled to speak at 7 p.m. from Avflight Saginaw, an aviation company located at the MBS International Airport in Freeland. Thursday’s event is the president’s first campaign rally in the state this year, coming while polls show the race tightening in Michigan.
Read more: Mike Pence’s Michigan rally is first for presidential campaigns here since COVID-19 struck
Doors open to the public at 4 p.m. Attendees can register for tickets online.
Voters in Saginaw County were critical to Trump’s surprise win in Michigan four years ago. The county is among a dozen that Trump flipped in 2016 after they previously voted for the Obama-Biden ticket twice, and Trump was the first Republican to win Saginaw County since 1984.
Trump won Michigan by only 10,704 votes, a narrow margin that makes swing counties critical to the president’s hopes of winning the state again in 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to most in-person campaign activities throughout the summer. Trump hasn’t held any of his trademark arena rallies this year, though cabinet officials and Vice President Mike Pence have visited Michigan several times in his absence.
The president last visited Michigan in June, briefly stopping in the Upper Peninsula en route to Wisconsin. Trump gave a speech in Ypsilanti after touring a Ford Motor Co. facility in May, which was organized by the White House instead of his political campaign.
People who register to attend the Thursday rally must agree to “voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19″ and can’t hold the campaign or venue liable for any health risks.
Avflight also hosted Pence when he held an outdoor rally at the company’s Traverse City location on Aug. 28. Attendees were given temperature checks before taking their seats outside a large hangar.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden hasn’t held a rally in Michigan since the primary election in March. The former vice president is scheduled to visit Michigan Wednesday, though his campaign hasn’t released details about the schedule or location.
The Democratic nominee’s wife Jill Biden plans to attend a virtual event in Oakland County Thursday as part of her national “Back To School Tour.” The campaign has not released additional details about Jill Biden’s visit as of Tuesday morning.
Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris held a virtual fundraiser with Michigan surrogates on the same night Pence stopped in Northern Michigan.
The two campaigns are also battling on the airwaves this week.
Trump’s campaign launched new advertisements after pulling off the airwaves in Michigan for six weeks over the summer. The ad launched in Michigan and five other states criticizes Biden for suggesting he would impose new shutdown orders if COVID-19 outbreaks worsen.
Biden’s campaign also launched new advertisements in Michigan and eight other battleground states Tuesday. One ad argues Trump failed to contain the coronavirus, while the other criticizes the president’s proposal to cut payroll taxes, which would undercut Social Security funding.
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