For college football fans, the University of Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium and the University of Michigan’s Big House are college football meccas.
But for the presidential campaign, these are the soundstages this Saturday, when former President Donald J. Trump and his Democratic vice presidential nominee, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, will face any battleground state. It’s a prepared stop for anyone trying to prove their mettle as an Everyman. Voters who may be in the stands or watching from a distance.
“Fall college football is the only place where you can find 100,000 potential voters in one place and you don’t have to pay a fee,” Republican strategist and Alabama football supporter Angi Horn said. ” he says.
“It would cost millions of dollars to pay for all this coverage and publicity and all this crowding,” she added. “They can watch for free, so they can watch some really great soccer games.”
Trump is headed to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs and No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide from neighboring battleground states will face off. Walz is scheduled to visit Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, where the 12th-ranked Michigan Wolverines, last season’s national champions, will host Minnesota’s Golden Gophers and vote in one of the nation’s biggest battlegrounds. are collecting.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Walz are certain that they will be Saturday’s centerpiece, as the campaign is a cultural mainstay, encroaching on a sport that outdoes Washington in its age-old feuds and partisan obsessions. I can’t imagine it. But their visit is meant to generate plenty of local news coverage and social media posts, with allies hoping for a cameo appearance on national TV that would appeal to viewers in Michigan and Georgia.
Less than a year after Alabama and Georgia faced off in the Southeastern Conference championship game, which averaged nearly 17.5 million viewers, ABC will broadcast their latest game in prime time. It turns out. And while it’s virtually certain the Michigan game will have a smaller crowd than the matchup in Tuscaloosa, the Wolverines already have one loss and Minnesota is not necessarily a ratings engine, though The Foxes are hosting this game in the Big Ten Conference’s premier bracket. We have schools in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
But Alabama, Georgia, and Michigan regularly attract viewers regardless of sports allegiance, so a glimpse of Trump or Walz on TV could be enough to make all the hard-fought battles a reality. It will likely attract attention in the ward and other areas as well.
Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox, a Democrat, said, “I don’t think a special campaign suspension alone will win you an election, but I think it has a compounding effect that emphasizes that you’re a normal person.” I believe that.” 2018 Alabama gubernatorial candidate.
“In total, hundreds of thousands of votes will be decided in this election,” Maddox said. “Every time you come across as genuine, it certainly helps voters who are on the fence.”
To that end, both Mr. Trump and Mr. Walz turned to football.
Vice President Kamala Harris and her campaign often refer to Walz as “Coach,” paying tribute to his service as defensive coordinator for a high school team that won a Minnesota state championship. At the Democratic National Convention in August, more than a dozen of his former players appeared on stage. (Unfortunately for Walz, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, whom he admired before moving to Minnesota, are not scheduled to play in any battleground states by Election Day. However, Penn State He is scheduled to visit Wisconsin on the 26th, an opportunity for both parties to combine some great tailgating with swing state politics.
“Here in the Midwest and Big Ten country, the advantage is that we love our football and we love our football coaches,” Michigan House Democratic Representative Phil Skaggs said, adding that Michigan State’s Little League He was keen to see that he was leading Minnesota in the area. The Brown Jug rivalry dates back to 1892. “The Midwest, especially Michigan, is where you can see authentic, normal Midwesterners in their natural habitat.”
Trump played soccer as a boy, but has no coaching background. However, he was the owner of the New Jersey Generals before the first version of the United States Football League folded. Since launching his first presidential campaign, Trump has repeatedly featured sports as part of his public image, especially in contests involving states that are tied to his political fortunes.
He played in the 2021 World Series game in Atlanta, but was much better in college football.
“Our politics are tribal, and college football is tribal,” said Brian Robinson, a Republican consultant in Georgia. “This is a signal to Georgia voters: ‘I’m one of you, too.’ Like you, I love the simple pleasures of Americana.”
As president, Trump stopped by two college football championship games, including the Alabama-Georgia Conference game in Atlanta. He traveled to Tuscaloosa for the Alabama vs. Louisiana State game in 2019. Last year, as the Republican primary approached, he traveled to contested contests in Iowa and South Carolina.
And in 2020, as the pandemic threatened to derail the football season, Trump called Big Ten commissioners and offered to help with federal testing for the virus. The league hesitated, wary of getting drawn into election-year politics. No changes were made to this decision. After the league game ended, Trump claimed in the debate that he had “bringed Big Ten football back,” despite the lack of resources provided by the White House.
Harris has not made football as much a part of her brand as Walz, but her campaign announced plans Saturday to have a significant presence at homecoming events at historically black colleges in battleground states. .
Harris himself traveled to Atlanta last year for a game between his alma mater, Howard, and Florida A&M. Most recently, Mr. Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, appeared in a matchup against North Carolina and East Carolina and Appalachian State.
Heckling is a known risk when politicians appear at sporting events. But Horne argued that the biggest danger to Trump and Walz may be threats that appear to favor one team over the other. The color of the tie may be important, she said. The same goes for when to smile or give a thumbs up.
“If Alabama beat Georgia, would you be happy about it?” Horn said. “There’s a bigger divisive factor in the South this weekend than Democrats versus Republicans. It’s Alabama versus Georgia, and you don’t want to take sides.”
Walz had planned a trip to Ann Arbor before Harris selected him in August, but given his new job, he may have to make tougher choices. The state’s flagship school that he and Ms. Harris desperately need to win. Or the largest university in the state where he is governor.
Maddox acknowledged that in Tuscaloosa, a short drive from Trump’s stronghold, the former president could probably afford to risk the wrath of Alabama’s powerful figures.
“I think Alabama would vote for Donald Trump even if he was wearing a Georgia sweater,” the Democratic mayor laughed. “And knowing how close this election is, he might want to appear in the Georgia section.”
Maya King contributed reporting.
