On Sept. 18, Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump arrived in the unlikely battleground state of Minnesota to campaign and kick off early voting. Following his wife Dr. Jill Biden’s Sept. 9 visit on his behalf, Joe Biden’s visit marked his first stop in Minnesota for the 2020 campaign. Trump has visited multiple times before.

In the Duluth area, Vice President Biden made an appearance at the Jerry Alander Carpenter Training Center in Hermantown. His visit marks an attempt to keep the increasingly red northern Minnesota blue. In his address, Biden spoke on strengthening unions, job training, and rebuilding the economy damaged by the COVID-19 pandemic. He also called out President Trump; Biden said, “Now, in the midst of this unprecedented national crisis, Trump has given up on even pretending to do his job.”

“[Trump] doesn’t have a clue how to be President,” Biden said.

When speaking about raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, he said, “In fact my entire campaign is built on the core concept. It’s time to reward hard-working America, not wealth. Reward work, not wealth. We don’t have to penalize wealth.” Biden also repeated his emphasis on the wealth “paying their fair share” through taxes.

Meanwhile, President Trump arrived at the Bemidji Airport, where he addressed a crowd at his “Great American Comeback” rally as part of his Midwest tarmac tour. Opening his remarks, Trump said, “We are going to win Minnesota because they [Democrats] did nothing for Minnesota except close up that beautiful iron ore territory.”

The President spoke on some of his campaign’s trademark issues, including support for law enforcement and strong border control. He said, “We will hire more police, increase penalties for assaults on law enforcement, and we will ban deadly sanctuary cities, which are a disaster.” By sanctuary cities, President Trump is referring to what Oxford Languages defines as “a city whose municipal laws tend to protect undocumented immigrants from deportation or prosecution, despite federal immigration law.”

In the midst of the candidates’ dueling events, news broke of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death. When reporters informed President Trump of the Justice’s passing, he responded, “She just died? Wow. I didn’t know that. You’re telling me now for the first time. She led an amazing life. What else can you say? She was an amazing woman, whether you agree or not, she was an amazing woman who led an amazing life. I’m actually saddened to hear that.”

With a Supreme Court vacancy, Justice Ginsburg’s passing adds a new topic for voters to consider when casting their ballot this election, assuming Congress is unable to fill the seat before Inauguration Day. However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has promised that “President Trump’s [Supreme Court] nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate.” McConnell refused consideration for President Obama’s nominee months before the 2016 election.

Vice President Mike Pence is set to visit Minnesota for a “Cops for Trump” listening session in Minneapolis on Sept. 24.