The states Trump and Biden are obsessed with
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North Carolina is one of seven swing states that both the Biden and Trump campaigns are obsessed with in the upcoming presidential election this fall.
Why it matters: The Biden-Trump election likely will be decided by roughly 6% of swing voters in these seven states, top strategists in both parties tell Axios' co-founders Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen.
State of play: Each side will spend billions to reach those voters over the next six months in North Carolina, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
- In North Carolina, Biden's campaign has opened 10 offices in big cities and suburban counties in hopes of driving up turnout from Democratic voters or convincing some Republicans — like the 250,000 Nikki Haley voters in the Republican primary — to vote for Biden.
Between the lines: The Trump campaign is talking to that 6% of persuadable voters when it hammers immigration, crime and inflation.
- Biden is aiming at the 6% when he emphasizes abortion, democracy and stability.
By the numbers: Biden's winning margin in Nevada, Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin in 2020 totaled just over 300,000 votes out of 158 million cast for president nationwide.
- The Washington Post found that the winner would have changed by flipping just over 81,000 votes in four states (Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin and Georgia).