GOP claims Trump could win Minnesota, New Jersey, Virginia in 2024 election. Here’s what Democrats say.

Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic governor of Minnesota, had a ready answer to the question he’s been hearing most lately: Is his state heading toward former president Donald Trump this November?

“I don’t see that in practice. Donald Trump says a lot of things that aren’t true,” the multitasking governor told CBS News as he prepared for a bill signing and tended to his barking dog. Walz is one of several prominent Minnesota Democrats trying to defuse growing Republican demands.

During meetings with congressional Republicans on Capitol Hill last week, Republicans made the argument that they believe Trump is competitive in Minnesota, New Jersey and Virginia in this year’s elections. Although the claim is not supported by extensive research, and although it is a common political strategy to boast of a growing political battlefield To convince opponents to spend more to defend their interests, Democrats are responding aggressively and – in some cases – colorfully.

“If Trump wants to spend his time and money trying to campaign in blue states, feel free,” said a Biden campaign spokesperson.

Some Democrats challenge Trump to invest money in the states, but others urge caution so that the three states are not taken for granted. Walz is not in the latter category.

“He still claims he won here in 2016 and 2020 and that’s not true,” Walz said of Trump’s continued baseless claims about polls and elections.

“When President Biden comes here, he hands over a billion dollars to the most important bridge in the upper Midwest,” Walz said. “When Donald Trump comes here, it’s hate and grievances and ridiculous stories.”

“I think Trump and the Republicans are really grasping at straws here,” Sen. Tina Smith, a Democrat from Minnesota, told CBS News.

However, “this will be a close election,” Smith said. “Don’t get me wrong, but that’s why the Biden campaign is making such a strong effort here.”

The Democratic National Committee invested about $500,000 in Minnesota before the election, in staffing, technology, outreach efforts, email fundraising, data infrastructures and operations, and party-building initiatives.

The optimism was erased by Rep. Dean Phillips, the Minnesota House member who briefly challenged Mr. Biden for the Democratic nomination.

“Turnout will be important. I think Trump is right,” he told CBS News. “And if he spends time in Minnesota, that will only help him.”

The electoral votes of Minnesota, New Jersey and Virginia are not expected to be decisive, as a Trump victory in those states would only contribute to a likely landslide electoral victory.

And Biden would still need a group of several swing states to secure victory, even if he prevails in Minnesota, New Jersey and Virginia.

But Trump’s meeting with congressional Republicans has sparked speculation that the GOP is considering investing in cities like Minneapolis, Trenton and Richmond. Rep. Byron Donalds, a Republican from Florida who was reportedly being considered as Trump’s running mate, said, “I’m hearing some positive things from Minnesota. I think there’s a lot more at stake than in the last two cycles. In fact, I’ve received a call from some friends of mine in New Jersey and they said, ‘Hey, are you doing anything in New Jersey? And so, I think Americans want to get our country back on track.”

Some New Jersey Democrats scoff at the notion that the Garden State could be won by Trump. Representative Andy Kima Democrat trying to take Senator Bob MenéndezSenate seat in November, told CBS News, “If President Trump wants to waste money in New Jersey, that’s on him. But I know the energy in my state — people want something different and they’re absolutely exhausted by what Trump represents.”

“I don’t think Virginia is a Trump state, culturally,” he said. Representative Don Beyer, a Northern Virginia Democrat in the House. But citing a recent Fox News poll showing a competitive race in Virginia between Trump and Biden, Beyer added: “I want to make sure Virginians don’t take the race for granted. if we are on a war footing.”

Representative Gerry Connolly, a longtime Virginia House Democrat, told CBS News: “Virginia has been a brick wall for Trump’s MAGA policy. We know democracy is at stake and the choice between President Biden and Twice-impeached criminal couldn’t be clearer.”

In 2020, Biden won New Jersey and Virginia by double-digit margins. Meanwhile, Minnesota Democrats boast the nation’s longest winning streak for Democratic presidential candidates, dating back to 1972 — and was the outlier state for Walter Mondale in 1984 — when Ronald Reagan was running for re-election.

But political strategists say it’s a common strategy to try to expand the battlefield and triumphantly claim a larger map.

“When you’re the leader of a party, Democrat or Republican, you have to say you’re going to win,” said Mike Erlandson, former chairman of the Democratic state party in Minnesota.

A close race in any state has the potential to impact tight local races, including for Congress. Representative Angie Craiga Minnesota Democrat who successfully navigated a House seat, told CBS News, “We can’t take anything for granted this year: The Second District race is always extremely competitive and expensive — especially in presidential election years, so we We have to make sure we’re ready to defend ourselves from the attacks we know are coming.”