VP Pence to hold rally in Hibbing Monday
Vice President Mike Pence will pay another visit to Minnesota on Monday.
Pence has a "Make America Great Again" rally scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Range Regional Airport in Hibbing, a news release says.
This will be Pence's second stop in northern Minnesota in the months before the Nov. 3 election. He was last in the area on Aug. 28 when he campaigned in Duluth.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump last came to Minnesota on Sept. 30, when he stopped in Duluth right before he tested positive for COVID-19.
Minnesota officials have stressed the requirement of campaigns to follow the state's COVID-19 guidelines at events. A news release for Pence's visit says "All attendees will be given a temperature check, masks which they are instructed to wear, and access to hand sanitizer."
Meanwhile, a note at the bottom of the website where people can register for tickets to Pence's rally says, "In attending the event, you and any guests voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19" and release all involved from any liability "whether in negligence or otherwise, for any illness or injury."
Pence's visit comes as the Trump campaign is apparently refocusing on Minnesota in the final days before the election after it significantly cut its ad spending in the state over the past few weeks.
According to FOX 9, Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien in a Friday morning call with reporters said the campaign would return to the Minnesota TV airwaves next week with a "heavy" ad buy, saying, "You won’t be able to turn on the TV without seeing a Trump ad."
Throughout the campaign, Trump has fixated on winning Minnesota's 10 electoral votes after narrowly losing to Hillary Clinton by 1.5% in 2016 and flipping the state red for the first time since Richard Nixon in 1972 (the longest streak in the nation).
Republican Party of Minnesota Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan said in a statement Friday the party is "excited" to welcome the VP, noting with fewer than two weeks until Election Day they're "feeling an energy and momentum" among some key races.
"The strong efforts our party has put forward this cycle are paying off and President Trump will be the first Republican presidential candidate to win Minnesota since 1972," Carnahan said.
The polls show a different story, though, with a Real Clear Politics average of recent polling data showing former Vice President Joe Biden ahead by six points.
Meanwhile, both campaigns have a dwindling number of Minnesota voters to woo ahead of the election as a record number of voters, totaling nearly 1 million as of Oct 16, have already turned in their ballots.
For information on how to vote early and who is on your ballot, visit the Secretary of State's website here.
