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Former President Donald Trump to hold Thursday campaign rally in Albuquerque
Former President Donald Trump will visit Albuquerque in the final days of this year's general election cycle, thrusting New Mexico into the national political spotlight and possibly bolstering Republican candidates in hotly contested state and local races.
Trump's visit will occur Thursday at noon, according to his campaign, and could be met with large protests. The location of the rally was not immediately announced.
Trump previously held two campaign rallies in Albuquerque during the 2016 election cycle. The first rally, held in May 2016, sparked raucous protests and property damage in Downtown Albuquerque
Trump, who was elected president that year, also held a rally in Rio Rancho in September 2019.
After that rally, the city of Albuquerque sent the Trump campaign a bill for $211,175.94 to cover security costs stemming from Trump’s overnight stay in Albuquerque the night before. But Trump's campaign did not pay the bill.
His visit to New Mexico comes as a recent Journal Poll showed Democrat Kamala Harris with a comfortable lead in the state.
No Republican has won New Mexico's five electoral votes since George W. Bush did so in 2004, and Trump lost to President Joe Biden by 11 percentage points — or roughly 100,000 votes — in the 2020 election.
However, Trump has seen an increase in popularity among Hispanic voters in New Mexico, as the Journal poll found 41% of Hispanic voters surveyed who expressed support for the former president.
That support level among Hispanic voters was higher than it was in the previous poll, and above what most Republican candidates have received in recent New Mexico statewide elections.
Meanwhile, Trump's visit could also bolster the chances of Republican Yvette Herrell, who is seeking to defeat incumbent Democrat Gabe Vasquez in New Mexico's 2nd Congressional District.
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That seat has flip-flopped between GOP and Democratic control in recent election cycles, and has emerged as a key race in the battle for political control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Trump's latest visit to Albuquerque could be a quick stopover. The Republican nominee is scheduled to speak Wednesday evening in Green Bay, Wis., alongside former football star Brett Favre.
He is then scheduled to hold a rally in Henderson, Nev., later Thursday afternoon.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
