Northern Minnesota in the spotlight for dueling campaign stops

Dueling presidential visits to northern Minnesota on Friday are setting up a high-stakes battle for support in a region that's shifted toward Republicans in recent elections and redefined Minnesota politics.

Former Vice President Joe Biden's first trip to Minnesota as a presidential candidate will find him in Duluth for an afternoon tour of a union training center. Roughly 150 miles to the west, President Donald Trump is dropping into Bemidji for a dinnertime rally at the local airport. Both candidates are arriving on the same day the state kicks off early voting, making Minnesotans among the first in the nation to cast ballots in the November election.

While Biden looks to reassert Democratic competitiveness beyond the Twin Cities and its suburbs, Trump is aiming to shore up his backing with the rural voters who have propelled his prospects in a state he narrowly lost four years ago.

https://www.startribune.com/dueling-friday-campaign-stops-raise-profile-of-northern-minnesota/572445572/