With just more than a year until the 2020 presidential election, the campaigns for the contenders are quickly establishing roots all over the country and it is no different for President Donald Trump, who has set his sights on another four years as America’s commander-in-chief.
In Nevada, Trump’s re-election campaign team is taking shape with a key position, that of Nevada Rural Chair, going to a Pahrump local, Nevada Assemblyman Greg Hafen II.
“I was completely floored when they offered me the chairmanship for all of rural Nevada,” Hafen told the Pahrump Valley Times when reached for comment. “I’m honored to be chosen to represent the Trump campaign.”
Hafen said many political experts have already expressed their belief that Trump will have no problem taking the vote in the rural parts of the Silver State but that does not mean the rural campaign can relax and take it easy. Rather, Hafen emphasized the importance of keeping sharp focus on bringing out every single voter possible.
“While most pundits believe Trump will win in Nevada’s 15 ‘rural’ counties, in order to win the entire state we will need to maximize the victory in each of these counties,” Hafen stated. “The path to victory for Trump in Nevada begins in our rural areas and right here in Nye County.”
Uniting efforts between the many other Republican entities throughout Nevada will be imperative in the coming months, Hafen said, remarking, “To ensure we are able to engage with the rural voters, we will need to have a coordinated effort between the Trump campaign, the Nevada State Republican Party, the county parties and elected Republican officials.”
Hafen detailed that this was part of the reason he had endorsed Nevada Republican Chairman Michael McDonald in his bid for re-election to that post earlier this year, as McDonald maintains a close relationship with the White House and Trump and therefore, Nevada will be a major priority for the Trump campaign in 2020.
“Working with the county chairs … we will be able to generate those grassroots volunteers that are the foundation of our victory,” Hafen continued. “Furthermore, mobilizing the campaigns of fellow rural legislators like senators Settelmeyer, Goicoechea and Hansen, as well as my colleagues in the Assembly, Dr. Titus, John Ellison, Jim Wheeler, Alexis Hansen and Glen Leavitt, along with the many Republican county commissioners and other local Republican elected officials, will help us deliver the state for our president.”
At the moment, Hafen said there are no hard-set details on appearances in the Pahrump area by Trump himself but he fully expects Trump to make several trips to Nevada throughout the presidential campaign. Additionally, he noted, “His campaign fully understands the importance of rural Nevada and I’m sure members of his team will be crisscrossing the state in places like Pahrump and Elko.”
Hafen’s advice to those who want to get involved in the Trump campaign was to first get involved with their county Republican central committee and attending any grassroots training made available by the Republican Party.
“And don’t forget to support all of your down-ticket Republicans as well,” Hafen encouraged. “We need to get Republicans elected throughout the state in order to turn Nevada red. You can find a lot of cool Trump merchandise at the Nevada GOP website www.nevadagop.org.”
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com