Former President Trump plans to rally his supporters Saturday at the Coachella Valley polo fields, a state he lost by more than 29 points four years ago and is expected to be a close race, as many expected. There is less than a month left until the current election.

Trump’s scheduled late-afternoon appearance at Calhoun Ranch outside Coachella, with temperatures above 100 degrees, caused some head-scratching among local Republicans, given the state’s deep blue slope. caused it. The last Republican presidential candidate to win the state was George H.W. Bush in 1988. Democrats have won more than 60% of the state’s votes since 2008.

The most common reason White House figures visit California is to raise money from the state’s many wealthy donors, as Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris have recently done.

But President Trump has been raising money in the desert in recent days, including holding a big-ticket event at Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison’s Rancho Mirage mansion in 2020, and a fundraiser during the former president’s visit here this week. There are no reports that this has taken place.

Even if the former president doesn’t spearhead a formal fundraiser, he can still meet with influential and deep-pocketed supporters among the region’s palm-lined golf courses and gated communities. Probably.

“Make no mistake, he’s going to do something in the desert. There’s an awful lot of money out there,” said a California Republican strategist with close ties to the Trump campaign.

He added that the former president has been trying to hold such an event in California for at least a year, but had trouble finding a venue for tens of thousands of people outside of Democratic-run cities and counties. Ta. Who could thwart his plans? The Coachella Valley is the perfect place for President Trump to talk about the border, water issues and Harris’ record.

“This is a point of pride for President Trump,” said the strategist, who spoke candidly about his interactions with the campaign on condition of anonymity. “He fought in New York. He’s going to fight in California. He’s not leaving anything on the table.”

The Trump campaign said the former president was appearing in the state to spotlight Harris’ record here.

“Kamala Harris did unimaginable damage to California during her six years as the most liberal attorney general in state history, and she did even more damage to our country as vice president,” the spokesperson said. Stephen Chan said in a statement. “President Trump’s visit to Coachella will highlight Harris’ history of failure and demonstrate that he has the right solutions to help every state and every American.”

The Harris campaign did not respond to a request for comment Monday night.

The former president made similar claims about Harris in mid-September at a news conference at a Rancho Palos Verdes golf course, the day after a fundraiser in Beverly Hills.

Presidential candidates typically avoid visiting California to raise money near elections, but Harris last visited her hometown to raise money before Election Day in late September. Ta. Trump previously bucked this tradition at a huge fundraiser on Lidore Island in Newport Beach a little more than two weeks before the 2020 election.

Coachella is also close to the battleground states of Arizona and Nevada, which President Trump may visit during his trip to the West. Details of his schedule are not yet clear, but he is scheduled to hold a rally in Aurora, Colorado, on Friday. It’s a city he falsely claims has been overrun by Venezuelan gang members. (The city’s Republican mayor has denied Trump’s claims, which appear to stem from: Dispute between city and landlordaccording to the New York Times. )

Another veteran Republican strategist from California said Trump wants to boost Republican turnout in the state. Despite its Democratic dominance, the state is home to more than 5.5 million Republicans, the most of any state that asks voters to indicate their party affiliation.

“People always forget that we have more Republicans than any other state. The problem is we’re outnumbered,” the official said, adding that neither party controls Congress. He added that he had heard that Representative Ken Calvert, who is in a fierce re-election race that could determine whether he takes over, had asked the former president: campaign for him

“At some point, Calvert asked him to come out, and I think that’s probably what almost every senator has asked.” [top party leaders] This person said he had heard that the Corona Republican, who is friendly with Mr. Calvert’s team and is the longest-serving Republican in California’s congressional delegation, would be attending the event.

Mr. Calvert’s campaign denied that the congressman had asked Mr. Trump to campaign and said it was unclear whether the congressman would attend events just outside his district.

“It was never a request from us. We just found out about it. [Monday] Just like everyone else,” said spokesperson Jason Gagnon. “I don’t know if he’s going to be there or not. As you can imagine with this campaign and everything else, our schedule is pretty crazy.”

Democrats supporting former federal prosecutor Will Rollins, who is challenging Calvert, were skeptical, pointing to Trump’s actions they say have harmed Californians.

“Even after President Trump tried to block disaster aid to firefighters, raised Californians’ taxes to reward allies in other states, and bragged about taking reproductive freedom away from women, Ken… Calvert was right there, sitting on President Trump’s lap, applauding.” Dan Gottlieb, spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Riverside County deserves a leader who cares about his constituents more than a convicted fraudster.”

Calvert and Rollins are locked in a close race representing a wide swath of Riverside County, a repeat of the 2022 race that Calvert won by less than five points. Despite his loss, Rollins attracted the attention of Democratic leaders and donors across the country, and his race, rated a “toss-up” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, will take control of the House in California. It is one of several possible election races.

Saturday’s event will be held at a property owned by a company run by the family of a major Republican donor. (They also own the land that hosts the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the Stagecoach Festival.)

Alexander Hagen III and Alexander Hagen IV have been linked to the Republican National Committee, pro-Trump underground finance groups, and other Republican groups and candidates, according to OpenSecret, a nonpartisan nonprofit that tracks campaign finance and contributions. He reportedly donated hundreds of thousands of dollars. Federal Election Commission.

An email sent to the family’s company seeking comment was not returned Monday.