Biden campaign says it can compete in Texas, Georgia, Arizona

[RandySF]

Former Vice President Joe Biden’s senior advisers sounded a confident note in a campaign update on Friday, saying they believe their candidate is positioned to compete or even win a number of traditionally red states taken by President Trump in 2016.

Biden campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon said the campaign views Arizona, Texas and Georgia as battleground states they intend to contest and win. The campaign says Arizona is at the top of their list of red states that could turn blue for the first time in decades this November.

“This is something we are very, very focused on,” O’Malley Dillon told reporters at a digital briefing. “We believe there will be an expanded map in 2020. We believe there will be battleground states that have never been battleground states before.”

Arizona hasn't gone for a Democratic candidate in a presidential race since former President Clinton won in 1996, when Independent candidate Ross Perot ran a strong campaign.

President Carter is the last Democratic candidate to win Texas and Georgia. He won the two states in 1976, a completely different political era.


https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/498008-biden-campaign-says-it-can-compete-in-texas-georgia-arizona

[sandensea]

1. But will Abbott, Kemp, and Ducey cheat him?

[Lonestarblue]

11. Kemp will. He's already cheated in his own race.

I haven’t really read anything about Ducey. Abbott would cheat if he could, but most of the major cities are run by Democrats, who would surely notice something suspicious going on. That said, the final vote tallying happens in the state, and the secretaries of State we’ve had have not been worth crap. We finally got new voting machines last year after there was a big stink because old machines used in 70 countries switched a vote for Beto to a vote for Cruz when people voted straight ticket. The SOS admitted that they had known of this issue for more than a decade but did nothing about it, including warning voters. He blamed it on user error, yet several people took cell phone photos that showed the straight-ticket Democratic box checked and the Ted Cruz box checked. I’m sure there were many who just voted a straight ticket and didn’t check the line by line votes, so it’s possible that Beto actually won. The race was very close.

[sandensea]

12. Thank you for that recap, Lonestarblue.

I, too, have long suspected Rafael was re-elected by way of electronic ballot-stuffing - a Putin and Mosad specialty, as you know (as well as domestic miscreants like Rove's Crossroads GPS, which famously had the Ohio vote rerouted to a Chattanooga server - which many believe accounted for Bush's "Ohio miracle" in '04).

Here's hoping all such mischief comes to nothing this time.

Have a great weekend!

[Mike 03]

2. Arizona's going to be fascinating

McSally is down in every poll and Mark Kelly is rolling in money. She's also getting horrible press for her recent comments throwing Arizona towns and cities under the bus on federal funding.

We could have an amazing sight: the McCains endorsing and maybe even campaigning for Joe Biden. (I know, that sounds far fetched, but there's some deep anger there.)

Ducey was close to McCain and might even see the writing on the wall. I always wondered if Ducey pissed off Trump by speaking (surprisingly eloquently) at McCain's memorial service.

Not that Ducey is any hero. But he's trying to thread the needle on the Coronavirus response.

We've also got one soft wildcard: Jeff Flake (who despises Trump). He's been popping up a little bit recently after a long silence.

[xmas74]

14. Campaigning for Biden isn't far fetched.

The Mccains have already endorsed him. They hate Trump and Biden was one of John's closest friends. He even gave a eulogy at his funeral.

Party politics will take you so far but sometimes revenge goes further.

[barbtries]

3. i hope the campaign is not forgetting NC.

I believe he will win here.

Bring Howard Dean on. I would not be entirely surprised if Biden won all 50 states, especially if he campaigns vigorously in all of them.

[Wounded Bear]

13. Won't get 50, but it looks like 25-26 might be in reach...

especially if TX and GA are really in play.

I already like our chances in AZ.

That could put us in the 370-80EV range.

[Bok_Tukalo]

4. Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan

Those first, please.

[Baclava]

5. Ayep, and Florida

[DFW]

6. They will try. That is a given.

But Stacy Abrams is looking REALLY good right now to Georgians who are fast finding out what a loser Kemp is--and maybe what a loser Kemp really WAS in the 2018 election. The SoS of any State, after all is their top election official. Expecting them to be fair when they, themselves, are the candidate is asking much from ANY Republican, let alone a crooked, incompetent one in the South. Just ask Max Cleland. Abbott in Texas never had to face anyone like Stacy Abrams (yet).

Mark Kelly will have some REAL wind at his back (does already, actually). He and Biden could act as twin pillars of mutual support. Mark already has a substantial lead over McSilly, and is he odds-on favorite to bring that Senate seat back to our side. A little bit of resurrected 50 State Strategy might bring Georgia into the Democratic column (and maybe even a Senate seat or two from there as well). Texas is a harder nut to crack, BUT--we have some serious urban support. Not just Dallas. Houston, Austin and El Paso are all Democratic population centers, and rural Texas isn't exactly flourishing under the Trumpanzees.

We may not have a serious chance to win all three states. Frankly, at this point, I'd be amazed if we carried more than Arizona, but it COULD happen, and I absolutely applaud the Biden campaign's decision to complete seriously in all three States. Someone has been talking to Howard, maybe.....

[PCIntern]

7. Yeah sure you know what?

Yeah I heard that Hillary was going to win Indiana and South Carolina and Arizona and Texas and Wyoming and Montana and Idaho. How about we focus on states that he can win if he campaigns there like a human being like Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, In Florida. Let’s get our feet on the ground and her head out of the clouds and stop playing games with these fuckers. You win states you’re going to be competitive in let’s cut the crap and cut right to the chase. I’m sick of losing. Especially to the gigantic asshole.

[LanternWaste]

9. It does not follow.

TX: 44% Democrat, 46% GOP...

That's called 'competitive.' And that poll doesn't care about temper tantrums and demands to cut some alleged crap.

[PCIntern]

10. Yeah. And Hillary was busy talking to AZ

And didn’t bother with Wisconsin. I’ve heard this song before.

[xmas74]

16. The difference in AZ

Is a dynamic, extremely well-liked candidate for Senate in Kelly. He is crushing his opponent in the polls. It would be idiotic not to grab those coattails and make campaign appearances in AZ with Giffords and Kelly.

[Johnny2X2X]

8. PA, WI, MI, and NC

Please do not do what Hillary did and ignore MI and WI until it was too late!

In fact he should be doing remote interviews with local TV stations in those states right now every day.

[Drunken Irishman]

15. Biden should but he also shouldn't get too wide-eyed on these states.

It's still about Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan...with maybe even Florida.

[Yavin4]

17. This could be a feint.

Make Trump expend time and resources in TX and AZ, leaving FLA open. FLA is the true target.