Trump campaign rally in Traverse City

Former Republican President Donald Trump is traveling to Traverse City on Friday evening for his first rally of the year in the northwestern Lower Peninsula, virtually tied with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race.

Trump’s speech, scheduled to be delivered at Cherry Capital Airport at 7:30 p.m., comes just 11 days before the Nov. 5 general election and gives the former president one of his last chances to make a closing argument for his re-election to a second term after losing to Democratic President Joe Biden in 2020.

Michigan will be one of the key states that determine whether Harris or Trump wins, along with a handful of other swing states including Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina.

Both candidates have paid a lot of attention to Michigan, with Harris in Oakland County earlier this week with Republican former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney. Harris will also be back in Kalamazoo on Saturday with former first lady Michelle Obama. Trump, meanwhile, was in Detroit a week ago, on a day when both candidates crisscrossed the state, and will campaign again in Novi on Saturday.