President Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden are both set to visit Minnesota Sept. 18.
It is unclear where in the state Biden will be, but Trump is set to be in Bemidji at 4 p.m.
The next set of visits follow Trump's visit to Mankato in August, and Former Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden's visit to Prior Lake earlier this month.
The closely contested race in Minnesota offers a fascinating case study on America’s urban-rural divide. Republicans have gained major influence in Greater Minnesota and particularly on the Iron Range, once considered a Democratic bastion of labor interests. Trump courted those voters in Mankato, saying in his speech at the airport that his tariffs on foreign steel have made the mining industry more competitive in Minnesota.
But those regions are not monolithic. The president still lost Saint Louis County (covering Duluth) by nearly 12 points in 2016 and did even worse in the counties with Minneapolis and St. Paul; he trailed Clinton in Hennepin and Ramsey by more than 30 points, respectively.
With Democrats largely owning the cities and Trump holding a steady advantage outstate, the Twin Cities suburbs may play a crucial role in 2020. Dakota and Washington counties stayed blue only by single digits in 2016, while Trump won Anoka County by about 10 points.