Trump to rally GOP in Columbia on Thursday

Source: Columbia Tribune

Columbia is a unique road stop for Trump, who previously has selected more conservative areas of the state to campaign in. Aside from being one of the more liberal-leaning cities in Missouri, Columbia is also where McCaskill attended high school and college.

While Columbia may be considered a liberal area, rural areas and smaller cities in the region have voted strongly Republican in recent elections, Bozarth said. Republicans can find strength even in Columbia, he added.

"The city of Columbia and the University of Missouri have always been huge volunteer bases for Republicans," Bozarth said. "It is not just the city of Columbia, it is the Columbia-Jefferson City market, which is very Republican as a market."

Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton won Boone County by almost 5,000 votes out of about 77,000 cast for her or Trump in November 2016. In the seven counties adjacent to Boone, which combined to cast about 14,000 more votes, Trump won by more than 41,000 votes.

Read more: http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/20181026/trump-to-rally-gop-in-columbia-on-thursday