“Don’t Put All Your Chickens in 1 Swing State”
By Joseph Catena
We are all conditioned to believe that the presidential election comes down to somewhere around 60,000 votes in seven swing states. They are: Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and the crown jewel of Pennsylvania.
Don’t believe it.
In 2024, you can add a few more. Throw in Virginia, New Hampshire and yes, New Jersey. This is not to say Donald Trump will win all or any of these, but he can. For the second election cycle in a row, Trump drew more than 100,000 people in Wildwood, NJ. Granted, South Jersey is much more Republican friendly than the northern part of the state, but the fact is, Garden State residents are among the hardest hit in the nation when it comes to taxes and the cost of living. According to Assemblyman Paul Kanitra, there are approximately 894,000 illegal aliens in a state with a population of 10 million, making New Jersey a border state. Attached to that comes a cost of $7 billion. Even Blue Jersey’s tolerance has its limits. These are prime issues where Trump thrives and Kamala nosedives.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has done a magnificent job is challenging the establishment and proving that the commonwealth is alive and well in the culture war battles. Youngkin has reinvigorated the notion that parents actually have rights about what is being taught to their children. He has also spoken out against schools giving special privileges to transgender students. Basically, he struck a chord by emphasizing parents, not bureaucrats, have a say in what gets taught to their students. Polls are showing Trump and Harris in a close battle in the Old Dominion State, which hasn’t gone to the GOP since President George W. Bush was reelected in 2004. Essentially, there is no reason to leave Virginia out of the campaign.
Polls show Harris has a lead slightly outside the margin of error in New Hampshire, a state that has not gone Republican since 2000. The “Live Free or Die” electorate in the Granite State is known to be independent/libertarian and cherishes Constitutional freedoms. The economy and inflation rank at the top of voter concerns in 2024. Trump’s resounding, historic primary victory showed his message was well received by his party. By preaching economic policies and highlighting how the vice president has threatened in the past to go into people’s homes and snag their guns, Trump connects to a number of voters, especially those who have the right to carry guns openly or concealed or without a license. Furthermore, New Hampshire also has stand your ground laws. The Donald’s love of the Second Amendment connects with firearm owners. Keep in mind that Trump lost to Hilary Clinton by a miniscule 0.3 percent in 2016. Eight years and another radical feminist later, is it so impossible to think that Trump could pull out a victory in New Hampshire?
If Trump flips New Hampshire and nabs its four electoral votes, it would be a nasty blow to the Democrats and break their 20-year lock. It would also be a sure sign that other unexpected states may follow suit. The electoral map isn’t a one-way street. Blips can hurt the Dems equally.
With just over a month to go, it may behoove Trump to go on a weekend tour of the Eastern Seaboard. A long weekend jetting to New Hampshire, New Jersey – why not throw in New York while he’s at it – and ending in Virginia could not only provide a flip, or two, or three, it would definitely send a message that Orange Man Bad is here to win some road games.
Moreover, it would signal a far different playbook for years to come.