Why Donald Trump Is Heading to Robstown, Texas for Rally

Donald Trump is due to hold a rally in southern Texas on Saturday night, as the Republicans aim to make inroads in what had been reliably Democratic Party territory.

The event will take place in Robstown, Nueces County, less than three weeks before the crunch midterm elections on November 8.

Competitive votes are expected in Texas' 15^th and 34^th Districts for the House of Representatives.

The 34^th District sees GOP House member Mayra Flores, who won her seat during a special election held in June, locked in a tough battle with Democrat Vicente Gonzalez.

Flores' victory made her the first Mexican-born woman to sit in the United States Congress.

Also in play is the 15th District, which Gonzalez used to represent before jumping over to the 34^th District after boundaries were redrawn.

Trump-backed candidate Monica De La Cruz will face off against 31-year-old Democrat Michelle Vallejo.

The former president's visit could also help shore up support for two of his local allies, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick.

Following Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election Paxton launched an unsuccessful legal action against the states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia and Pennsylvania, in support of Trump's unsubstantiated claims of mass electoral fraud.

Paxton urged the Supreme Court to invalidate the four states' 62 electoral votes, in a move that would have handed Trump a second term. On December 11, 2020, the case was dismissed.

Professor Daron Shaw, a politics expert at the University of Texas, told Newsweek formerly Democrat strongholds in southern Texas are now competitive for the GOP.

He said: "These districts (and these constituencies) are absolutely 'in play'.

"More broadly, it's not that the Republicans are beating the Democrats among South Texas Hispanics; it's that they are almost splitting the vote, which makes it all but impossible for Democrats to be competitive statewide (even with increasingly Democratic urban areas like Houston, Dallas, and Austin).

"As for Trump, he seems to be trying to take credit for this shift, which is (in all fairness) not unreasonable. I'm not sure if he counter-mobilizes as much as he mobilizes, though."

Assistant Professor Laine P. Shay, who teaches at at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, made similar arguments.

He commented: "I would say given the right political circumstances, such as not controlling the White House during a midterm election, and if the Republican Party fields the right candidate, then many seats in South Texas will be more competitive than they were a decade ago. The Democratic Party most definitely still has an advantage in this region, but it is on the decline relatively speaking.

"Campaigning with Donald Trump is definitely a double-edged sword. Donald Trump can energize Republican voters, help with fundraising, and provide media exposure. But Donald Trump can also energize Democratic voters, especially, in other parts of the state that are becoming more purple such as in suburban districts. Also, while some of the communities in South Texas are less reliably blue than they were in the past, there are still many voters in this region who strongly oppose Trump."

Speaking to local paper The Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Professor Andrew Smith, who teaches political science at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, argued Trump wants to prove he can protect his allies.

The academic said: "Trump wants to make sure that his allies have his support and that Republicans in the Valley know they need to get out and go vote to make sure that Democrats don't pull off upsets in key statewide races."

Smith argued the hotly contested 2020 election means Trump's base in Texas is "motivated," and hoping to build on recent gains against the Democrats.

He commented: "Trump wants to get as many people out as he can.

"Because of 2020, his supporters, the MAGAs, are motivated. They do want what they see as revenge, and if they can't get it through a direct vote for President Trump, then, according to the former president, they'll do it by making sure that Trump's allies, such as Paxton, remain in power and turn away Democratic challengers."

On Friday the House January 6 committee, which is investigating the 2021 storming of the Capitol and associated efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, formally subpoenaed Trump. The former president has been ordered to appear before the committee, in person or remotely, on November 14.

Also on Friday Steve Bannon, Trump's White House strategist, was sentenced to four months in prison and fined $6,500 for ignoring a subpoena from the January 6 committee. Bannon has said he plans to appeal the verdict.