President Donald Trump will make his 16th trip to Texas as commander in chief Wednesday when he visits an oil rig at Double Eagle Energy and attends a fundraiser in Midland.
Trump was in North Texas in June for a discussion on social injustice and another fundraiser.
The Trump campaign said Texas is very important for the president as he seeks a second term. A campaign spokesperson pointed to the importance of energy and said it was a strength for Trump as compared to former Vice President Joe Biden.
“This president, on the other hand, has expanded energy production," the campaign's national press secretary Hogan Gidley said. "For the first time, we are now a net exporter of energy. No one even thought that would even be possible."
Trump comes to Texas as recent polls show a dead heat between him and Biden. Gidley pointed to polls in 2016, which showed Trump trailing Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Gidley said he was not concerned with the latest polling.
"I mean it’s still summertime. People are out enjoying themselves. People are trying to fight back this virus. A lot of things are going on right now,” he said.
Texas Democrats see the polls as a sign their party is gaining strength.
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"The reality is that he has been coming so many times over the past two years in particular, and yet his poll numbers continue to drop,” said Manny Garcia, executive director of the Texas Democratic Party.
Texas Democrats believe that the state is in play in the general election and that there will be the resources necessary to flip it.
“The Biden campaign is already making investments into Texas, and for months, the DNC has been investing in the Texas Democratic Party,” Garcia said.
Both campaigns are expected to spend and raise money in Texas, which carries 38 electoral votes.
