If you're wondering why President Donald Trump is making his second trip in less than 20 days to Tennessee - a state he won with more than 60% of the vote in all three of his presidential runs - you're not the only one.
Republican political operative Susan Richardson Williams is scratching her head, too.
"Why is the president coming to Tennessee twice when we're supposed to be this red state?" Richardson Williams - a former Ingram Group manager, former Tennessee Republican Party chairwoman, former gubernatorial cabinet member and founder of SRW & Associates - pondered to Knox News. "We're always happy to have the president visit our state. I am a little perplexed why he's coming to such a red state."
Maybe it's because districts that used to be reliably
Republican in Middle Tennessee might not be as secure after state lawmakers carved out portions of them to create a new safe Republican seat per Trump's request, she said.
"They all had to give a little to get the new districts," she said. "The districts aren't as Republican as they once were."
Most of Clarksville is located in the 7th Congressional District, currently represented by U.S. Rep. Matt Van Epps, whom Trump held multiple tele-town halls to support during a special election last December. Less than a year into his first term, Van Epps is defending his seat against a challenge from Nashville businessman and Democrat Darden Copeland.
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Two other competitive congressional races are unfolding in Middle Tennessee, and Trump has endorsed Republicans in both. Clarksville is just miles away from House District 5, where Republican Charlie Hatcher, a dairy farmer and former Tennessee Agriculture commissioner, is facing Democratic Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder in the closest House race in the state. Trump also has endorsed Republican state Sen. Brent Taylor in District 9. Taylor is facing a formidable opponent in state Rep. Justin J. Pearson, who was recently named to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's "Red to Blue" program.
Richardson Williams said she's confident Hatcher, Taylor and Van Epps will win their races, and maybe Trump just wants to "shore up" their success. The president is stopping in Tennessee Oct. 10 on his way to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, for the Georgia-Alabama football game.
This month, Trump embarked on a monthlong, 17-state tour in mostly red states aimed at mobilizing Republican voters ahead of the midterm elections. So far, Trump has visited Oklahoma, Alabama, Ohio, Nebraska and Texas.
His visits come as he's encouraging voters to pretend he's on the ballot, though some Republican candidates have tried to distance themselves as the president's approval ratings plummet. Polls show Americans fretting over high gasoline prices and the ongoing war with Iran, Reuters reported.
The president endorsed Taylor, the Republican running to represent the new District 9, but Taylor has been distancing himself from the president, despite having fought hard for Trump's endorsement in the primary. Recently, Taylor removed a pop-up window on his campaign website touting Trump’s endorsement.
Similarly, the president endorsed Hatcher after he defeated Rep. Andy Ogles in the GOP primary for District 5, but Hatcher has removed pro-Trump language from his campaign materials, the Conservative outlet Washington Examiner reported.
Vivian Jones contributed background about Middle and West Tennessee Congressional races to this report.
Allie Feinberg is the politics reporter for Knox News. Email: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com; Reddit: u/KnoxNewsAllie
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why is Trump returning to Tennessee? Maybe to bolster 'safe' GOP seats
