Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden will visit Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Thursday, days after his opponent, incumbent President Donald Trump, did the same. As The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported, it will be the former vice president’s first visit to the state.
“Vice President Biden will hold a community meeting in Kenosha to bring together Americans to heal and address the challenges we face. After, Vice President Biden and Dr. Biden will make a local stop,” his campaign said in a press release. Further details were unavailable.
The Southeast Wisconsin city of about 100,000 people has been the scene of protests, some of which involved violence, since Jacob Blake, a Black man, was shot in the back by police.
The Democrat nominee has been clear that a line needs to be drawn between protesting and rioting.
“I want to make it absolutely clear. Rioting is not protesting. Looting is not protesting. And those who do it should be prosecuted,” he said.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump paid a visit to the city, over the objections of both Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian.
As to whether or not either man is keen to have Biden visit the city, neither has responded to requests for comment. However, Antaramian, speaking to CNN on Tuesday, said it’s “too soon” for Trump or Biden to be visiting Kenosha.
“At this time, it’s just the wrong time. Right now is a time for us to heal, and to be able to look inward and deal with the issues that we have to deal with,” he said.
Although not officially a campaign stop, Biden is a candidate for president and he will be visiting a state whose 10 electoral votes are in play. The Badger State played a major role in the 2016 election; Democrat Hillary Clinton narrowly lost the state to Donald Trump, after she failed to campaign there. Democrats have reportedly been concerned about Biden’s absence from the state as well.
According to FiveThirtyEight , Biden leads Trump by as much as 13 points in the state, according to the most recent poll conducted there.
This will be the first visit by a Democratic presidential candidate to Wisconsin since 2012.
Meanwhile, Anna Kelly, spokeswoman for Trump’s campaign in Wisconsin, said that the former vice president is “trying to use a hurting community as a political prop for his failing campaign.”
“While true leaders like President Trump are working with state and local officials to help Kenosha heal, candidate Joe Biden is more interested in fomenting dissent and division,” Kelly said.