President Donald Trump will campaign for re-election in Mankato on Monday as he starts a tour of battleground states on the same day that Democrats kick off their national convention.

He is scheduled for a 2 p.m. event at North Star Aviation in Mankato, according to a news release from the campaign.

The Trump campaign is holding similar events later on Monday in Oshkosh, Wis., and Yuma, Ariz.

The Democratic National Convention that starts Monday was originally to take place in Milwaukee, but it has since shifted to an almost entirely virtual event.

Among the scheduled speakers for Monday's opening night at the Democratic convention is Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

The Republican National Convention the following week has also largely shifted into the virtual realm.

Trump last visited Minnesota for a campaign rally in downtown Minneapolis in October 2019. While Minnesota has not backed a Republican for president since 1972, his campaign has targeted the state as a pickup opportunity this year given Democrat Hillary Clinton's narrow 2016 win in the state.

Trump also previously held campaign rallies in Duluth and Rochester in 2018, as well as at the Minneapolis airport days ahead of the 2016 election.

His Monday stop will be the first presidential visit to Mankato since former President George W. Bush campaigned for re-election there in 2004.

Patrick Condon • 612-673-4413