Biden to target Trump on trips to Nevada, Arizona

President Biden is traveling this week to Nevada and Arizona, two states where the president’s reelection campaign is targeting former President Trump on voters’ top issues.

Campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez released a memo Monday to outline the messaging and infrastructure strategy for both states ahead of Biden’s trip on Tuesday.

“Across the Southwest, Donald Trump and his extreme MAGA agenda have taken over the Republican Party establishment, causing deep divisions among traditional GOP voters and an opening for Democrats that has increasingly become a trendline,” she said. “When it comes to campaign infrastructure and the issues that matter most to voters, the Biden-Harris campaign has a clear advantage, and we will continue to invest heavily in these states that play a clear role in our multiple pathways to victory.”

The campaign is focused on supporting unions, securing the border and protecting abortion rights. It also is putting attention on Biden’s messaging around defending democracy, with Biden campaign aides noting that Trump-backed Kari Lake is running for Senate in Arizona. Lake, who lost a 2022 Arizona gubernatorial bid and unsuccessfully challenged the election results in court, has backed false claims that the 2020 election was stolen and recently picked up endorsements from dozens of GOP senators.

Biden is set to visit Washoe, Nev., and Maricopa, Ariz., both swing counties. On Tuesday, he will travel to Reno, Nev., first for a campaign event and then travel to Las Vegas and Phoenix. On Wednesday, he will deliver remarks in Phoenix and then travel to Dallas and Houston for campaign receptions.

Nevada and Arizona include key constituencies like Latino voters, Black voters and female voters, campaign aides outlined. The campaign is opening offices around Las Vegas and across Nevada and Arizona; it plans to have more than 40 staffers on the ground by the end of March.

The president’s trip is part of a swing to every battleground state in March, following his State of the Union address. Last week, Biden was focused on Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin as Democrats are working to rebuild the coalition that won him the White House in 2020.

Biden lags behind Trump in Arizona, with the former president holding a 5.1 percent lead, according to an aggregation of polls by Decision Desk HQ. Trump is also ahead in Nevada, holding a 5.7 percent lead, according to an aggregation of polls.

In 2020, Biden won Arizona with extremely tight margins — 49.4 percent compared to Trump’s 49 percent. Biden carried Nevada with just over 50 percent of the vote.