Why Choose St. Cloud for Saturday’s Trump-Vance Campaign Rally?

(ST. CLOUD) -- The Trump-Vance Presidential Campaign is coming to St. Cloud Saturday for a big rally at St. Cloud State University's Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.

But why?

The last time Minnesota voted for the Republican Presidential candidate was 1972 for Richard Nixon. Every election since, the Land of 10,000 Lakes has gone blue.

But that was then. And 2024 is a weird political year to say the least.

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Polls Indicate Minnesota May Be a Battleground State

President Joe Biden pulled out of his re-election bid on Sunday. But prior to that, a number of polls showed the gap between Biden and former President Trump was very slim.

In fact, ABC News' 538.com showed both candidates at 42.1% in Minnesota with Robert F. Kennedy at 7.7% as of July 21st. (Polling was suspended after Biden dropped out of the race Sunday.) If you're a campaign manager, you prioritize Minnesota as a battleground that either party COULD win.

Now, Biden's suspended his campaign and has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris who is the presumptive nominee at this point. And since a Minnesota trip has likely been in the works for a while for the Trump folks, here we are -- a battleground campaign stop.

But why St. Cloud?

Friendlier Reception Than Twin Cities

If you're the Trump-Vance campaign, you want a friendly, enthusiastic audience. You will get just that in the middle of Minnesota where St. Cloud may be a purplish-blue, but the surrounding areas are decidedly red. Minneapolis-St. Paul is a lot more blue according to the last few sets of election results.

St. Cloud Regional Airport Can Handle Big Jets

Campaigns -- and Secret Service -- need easy access to the campaign venues. The St. Cloud Regional Airport provides just that. It's a regional airport that can handle larger passenger and cargo planes.

Airport Director Bill Towle says they can land Boeing 757's like The Trump Organization's "Trump Force One" -- if it's not fully loaded.

For the record, Towle says as of Tuesday afternoon, he had not heard any inquiries from the Trump campaign and he says details for the former President's campaign stop were going through the St. Cloud Police Department.

Twenty years ago, George W. Bush brought his re-election campaign to St. Cloud in September 2004, landing at St. Cloud Regional and motorcading to Dick Putz Field in west St. Cloud where he made a campaign speech.

RELATED: TRUMP, VANCE COMING TO ST. CLOUD SATURDAY

Congressman Tom Emmer is Trump's Minnesota Campaign Chair

Sixth-District Congressman Tom Emmer who represents the corridor stretching from the northern Twin Cities suburbs along I-94 to St. Cloud is chairman of the efforts to elect Trump in Minnesota.

He knows St. Cloud, the corridor and the political make-up of his district.

Despite Trump blocking Emmer from being considered for House Speaker last fall -- preventing him from getting a vote on the House floor following the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy -- Emmer supports Trump and spoke at the Republican National Convention last week in Milwaukee.

St. Cloud's Location Helps with Media Coverage

St. Cloud's in the middle of Minnesota. It's in the northern part of the Twin Cities TV market which spills over into Western Wisconsin, another battleground state. It's close enough for the Duluth/Superior/Northern Minnesota, Fargo/Moorhead and Sioux Falls, South Dakota media markets to take notice and potentially cover.

If you're interested in going to the Trump-Vance rally, tickets are available through the Trump events ticketing system.