Trump's travels South are more about money than votes

Less than 80 days before the election, battling Hillary Clinton in several battleground states, Donald Trump is spending time in ... the reddest of red states, Texas and Mississippi.

The reason: money.

Beyond fundraisers, however, Trump is conducting campaign events in Texas and Mississippi this week, while some Republican analysts believe he'd be better off in states like Ohio and Pennsylvania.

"The schedule is so valuable," said Austin Barbour, a Republican consultant based in Jackson, Miss. "You only have so many hours in the day, and so many days left."

Trump is expected to win big in Texas and Mississippi, but these Republican states also feature GOP donors with open wallets, particularly the Lone Star state of Texas.

"It's a reliable ATM for candidates," said Sarah Isgur Flores, a Republican consultant based in Houston.

Candidates from both parties make money runs to friendly states — Clinton spent time this week in California, a solidly Democratic state in November.

Skeptics said the fundraisers are not the problem so much as the rallies and events surrounding them, and the time it takes to conduct them.

In addition to fundraisers in Texas on Tuesday, Trump met with a group of mothers whose children have been killed by immigrants who were in the country illegally, held a town hall with Sean Hannity and gave a rally speech where he blasted Clinton and touted his plans to secure the border. Barbour said that is not the best state for that kind of event.

"Look, Arizona is in play," Barbour said. "Go to Phoenix, go to Tucson."

Throughout his campaign, Trump has added public rallies and other events to fundraising trips. That includes forays into blue states like Connecticut, which has Republican money even though it tends to vote Democratic.

Aides pointed out that his schedule also includes plenty of battleground states.

Prior to a Wednesday night rally in Mississippi, the GOP nominee scheduled a campaign event in the battleground state of Florida. The end of the week brings visits to swing states such as New Hampshire, Nevada and Iowa.

"All of this is in direct contrast to Hillary Clinton’s blue state fundraising tour, as she takes occasional breaks from her August vacation schedule to raise money from her special interest allies in reliable Democratic states like Massachusetts and California," said Trump spokesman Jason Miller.

There is evidence that the Trump team is trimming its schedule. For example, the campaign scrapped a late August trip to Oregon, considered a solid state for Clinton.

Time is getting tight, analysts said.

"Fundraising is driving the schedule and that is understandable, even this late in the summer," said Matt Mackowiak, an Austin-based Republican consultant. "But there is simply no excuse for wasting time with public rallies in Texas and Mississippi with less than 80 days left."

Flores noted that cable television networks pick up Trump rallies regardless of where they are, so he is getting national coverage of visits to friendly territory.

After Labor Day, however, Trump will likely focus on hotly contested states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Virginia and North Carolina, battlegrounds where Trump trails or is in a tight battle with Clinton.

"Post-Labor Day, you want to reach voters," Flores said. "Not just pick up checks."