President Trump is swooping in with a campaign rally in Tennessee to bolster the Senate campaign of Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn, who is locked in a tight race against Democrat Phill Bredesen, a f
President Trump is swooping in with a campaign rally in Tennessee to bolster the Senate campaign of Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn, who is locked in a tight race against Democrat Phill Bredesen, a former governor.
Mr. Trump will hold the “Make America Great Again” rally May 29 in Nashville, Tennessee, his campaign announced Saturday.
“The President looks forward to being with patriotic Tennesseans once again as he celebrates this booming economy that’s helping families throughout the state thanks to his historic tax cuts and job-creating policies,” said Michael S. Glassner, CEO of Mr. Trump’s reelection campaign.
The rally will be held in Nashville Municipal Auditorium, according to the campaign.
After a string of visits to key states where Republicans are looking to pick up Senate seats in the midterm elections, Mr. Trump is veering to Tennessee to play defense in the fight to keep GOP control of the narrowly-divided upper chamber.
Republicans have held on to Tennessee’s two Senate seats since 1995, but recent polling suggests a tight race this November.
Mrs. Blackburn trailed Mr. Bredesen 46 percent to 43 percent last month in a Mason-Dixon poll. What’s more, a Vanderbilt University poll last week found independent voters had a more positive view of Mr. Bredesen than Mrs. Blackburn, and a majority of Republicans also said they have a favorable view of the former governor.
Overall, 67 percent of Tennessee voters had a positive opinion of Mr. Bredesen, compared to 49 percent who said that about Mrs. Blackburn.
Mrs. Blackburn has been running as a Trump Republican. A the visit by the president, who has endorsed her, will reinforce that message.
Mr. Trump won Tennessee by a 26-point margin in 2016.
