Former President Donald Trump to hold Thursday campaign rally in Albuquerque

Former President Donald Trump will visit Albuquerque in the final days of this year’s general election cycle, thrusting New Mexico into the national political spotlight and possibly bolstering Republican candidates in hotly contested state and local races.

Trump’s visit will occur Thursday at noon, according to his campaign, and could be met with large protests. The location of the rally was not immediately announced.

Trump previously held two campaign rallies in Albuquerque during the 2016 election cycle. The first rally, held in May 2016, sparked raucous protests and property damage in Downtown Albuquerque

Trump, who was elected president that year, also held a rally in Rio Rancho in September 2019.

After that rally, the city of Albuquerque sent the Trump campaign a bill for $211,175.94 to cover security costs stemming from Trump’s overnight stay in Albuquerque the night before. But Trump’s campaign did not pay the bill.

A state Democratic Party spokesperson said Sunday a “rotund orange mass will be in Albuquerque on Halloween” in a reference to Trump.

“Trump is wasting his time coming to our state as polling shows New Mexicans are set to reject his MAGA extremism and divisive rhetoric yet again,” Democratic Party spokesperson Daniel Garcia also said. “Trump’s Project 2025 agenda that includes attacking reproductive rights, eliminating the Affordable Care Act and putting wealthy and large corporations first is wildly out of step with everyday New Mexicans.”

Trump’s visit to New Mexico comes as a recent Journal Poll showed Democrat Kamala Harris with a comfortable lead in the state.

No Republican has won New Mexico’s five electoral votes since George W. Bush did so in 2004, and Trump lost to President Joe Biden by 11 percentage points — or roughly 100,000 votes — in the 2020 election.

However, Trump has vowed to win New Mexico this year, citing voter unrest over border security and other issues. He has also seen an increase in popularity among Hispanic voters in New Mexico, as the Journal poll found 41% of Hispanic voters surveyed who expressed support for the former president.

That support level among Hispanic voters was higher than it was in the previous poll, and above what most Republican candidates have received in recent New Mexico statewide elections.

But Trump trails far behind Harris when it comes to female voters and those with a college or advanced degree, the recent poll found.

Meanwhile, Trump’s visit could also bolster the election chances of Republican Yvette Herrell, who is seeking to defeat incumbent Democrat Gabe Vasquez in New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District.

That seat has flip-flopped between GOP and Democratic control in recent election cycles, and has emerged as a key race in the battle for political control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Political pollster Brian Sanderoff said 25% of the votes cast in the 2nd Congressional District in 2022 were cast in Bernalillo County, as the district was redrawn during redistricting in 2021 and now takes in Albuquerque’s South Valley.

“Donald Trump coming to New Mexico will energize his support base and could encourage them to vote in the final days of the election,” Sanderoff told the Journal.

Trump’s latest visit to Albuquerque could be a quick stopover. The Republican nominee is scheduled to speak Wednesday evening in Green Bay, Wis., alongside former football star Brett Favre, according to his campaign website.

He is then scheduled to hold a rally in Henderson, Nev., later Thursday afternoon.

Sanderoff, who is the president of Albuquerque-based Research & Polling Inc., said Trump’s decision to stop in New Mexico between visits to two battleground states make it a low-risk wager.

“It’s surprising but not shocking that he decided to come here,” said Sanderoff.