Donald Trump's campaign has confirmed the Republican presidential nominee is coming to Western Washington for a fundraiser and a rally next Tuesday. There were rumors the campaign swing to the Northwest might not happen after Trump cancelled a similar stop next week in Portland.
Trump's campaign booked the 10,000-person capacity Xfinity Arena in Everett for an evening public rally, which will be preceded by a private, high-dollar fundraiser in the Seattle area.
Washington State Republican Party Chairman Susan Hutchison said she's "thrilled" Trump is coming back to the region. The New York businessman previously campaigned in the Northwest before the May primaries.
"He gets to talk about his issues, but he also gets to hear about our issues,” Hutchison said. “One of the things I noticed about Donald Trump when he came to Spokane is that he had done his research about our state. He talked about timber jobs. Well, I haven't heard anybody talk about timber jobs on the national front in a very long time."
Hutchison said holding the Trump rally in Snohomish County -- for which Everett is the county seat -- has additional strategic value. She hopes the event energizes conservative voters in the populous county to potentially swing some local and state races. In 2012, Snohomish County went for Democrat Jay Inslee with 51 percent of the vote in the gubernatorial race.
The 2016 Republican nominees for U.S. Senate and Governor in Washington state plan to skip the Trump rally. Chris Vance and Bill Bryant respectively have distanced themselves from their party's presidential nominee.
Admission to Trump's public rally in Everett requires a ticket available for free through the campaign website.
Recent polls give the Republican standard-bearer little chance of carrying any of the West Coast states.
"Donald Trump's xenophobic, Islamophobic and downright scary campaign has no place in Washington state," Washington State Democrats Chair Jaxon Ravens said in a statement blasting Trump's planned rally. "His presence drags down the entire Republican ticket. It's stunning that Washington State Republican Party Chair Susan Hutchison and her party are still boasting about their support for Donald Trump."
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