Obama back campaigning for Biden
WASHINGTON: With just a week to go until the November 3 election, President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden will crisscross the United States today on an intense day of campaigning in which former president Barack Obama will add his voice.
Trailing Biden in national opinion polls, Trump will hold rallies in three states key to his reelection hopes — Michigan, Wisconsin and Nebraska — while Biden journeys to Georgia and Obama campaigns on Biden’s behalf in critical Florida.
More than 64 million votes have been cast so far, approaching half the total 2016 vote, according to the US Elections Project at the University of Florida. The huge volume of mail ballots could take days or weeks to tally, experts have said. Trump, who has repeatedly and without evidence claimed that mailed ballots are likely to be subject to fraud, tweeted yesterday: ‘‘Must have final total on November 3rd.’’
Twitter flagged the tweet with a disclaimer describing the post’s content as ‘‘disputed’’ and potentially misleading.
Biden’s foray into Georgia, long a Republican stronghold, is a sign of the campaign’s optimism heading into the final week.
Polls show the race there to be tight, and a win by Biden in Georgia would probably be a severe blow to Trump’s chances. The state has not supported a Democrat in a presidential election since 1992.
Biden yesterday told reporters he had a ‘‘fighting chance’’ there. He will hold an afternoon event in Warm Springs, Georgia before capping the day with an evening rally in the state capital, Atlanta.
Flush with cash, Biden’s campaign has been advertising in the state for weeks.
Obama will campaign in Orlando after heading a weekend rally in Miami.
Trump’s rally in Nebraska, meanwhile, suggests his campaign is preparing for a close finish. The state apportions three of its five electoral votes by majority vote in its three congressional districts. The Omahaarea district is a potential pickup opportunity for Biden and the rest of the state is expected to go for Trump.
In a scenario where Trump and Biden finish close to a tie in the Electoral College, that Omaha district with its single vote could clinch the 270th elector needed to win.
Trump is also likely to draw attendees from Iowa, another state likely to be competitive.
Trump was to stage rallies in Michigan and Wisconsin overnight, two states he narrowly won in 2016 but where polls show Biden ahead. — Reuters