RIO RANCHO, N.M. — President Trump Donald John TrumpFederal prosecutor speaks out, says Barr 'has brought shame' on Justice Dept. Former Pence aide: White House staffers discussed Trump refusing to leave office Progressive group buys domain name of Trump's No. 1 Supreme Court pick MORE on Monday rallied thousands of supporters at a boisterous campaign event where he rattled off a familiar list of accomplishments, targeted a familiar list of foils and expressed optimism that he could turn New Mexico red in 2020.

The president packed the Santa Ana Star Center here for his first rally in the state since the 2016 general election campaign. The event underscored the Trump campaign's belief that it can expand his electoral map by competing in states won by Democrat Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonBloomberg rolls out M ad buy to boost Biden in Florida Hillicon Valley: Productivity, fatigue, cybersecurity emerge as top concerns amid pandemic | Facebook critics launch alternative oversight board | Google to temporarily bar election ads after polls close Trump pledges to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, designate KKK a terrorist group in pitch to Black voters MORE three years ago, despite skepticism from election experts.

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“It’s been quite a while since a Republican won this state," Trump said near the beginning of his 90-minute speech.

“We’re here for a number of reasons, but we really think we’re going to turn this state and make it a Republican state,” he added, sparking a raucous cheer.

There was evident enthusiasm in New Mexico for the president's arrival.

The city of Rio Rancho shut down public schools and offices for the day in anticipation of the heavy traffic associated with the rally.

Hundreds of onlookers lined the streets as Trump's motorcade made its way from the Albuquerque airport to the venue, waving American flags and snapping photos and videos.

A handful of protesters gathered on one overpass to hang a banner that read "No One Loves Trump."

But inside the arena, the rally featured scant empty seats and a rollicking crowd that roared at the mention of the border wall, the Second Amendment and other pieces of red meat for the president's base.

Trump seized on The New York Times' handling of new reporting on allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh Brett Michael KavanaughTrump plans to pick Amy Coney Barrett to replace Ginsburg on court Collins trails challenger by 4 points in Maine Senate race: poll SCOTUS confirmation in the last month of a close election? Ugly MORE. He provoked intense jeers from supporters as he called for the resignation of Times editors involved in publishing the story.

He paid particular attention to low unemployment rates for Hispanic Americans and Native Americans in an effort to appeal to local voters.

Supporters held signs aloft that read "Latinos for Trump" and encouraged supporters to text "VAMOS" to a campaign number.

Otherwise, the content of the rally was largely similar to the president's other campaign events. He boasted of the number of judges he's appointed, bemoaned former special counsel Robert Mueller Robert (Bob) MuellerCNN's Toobin warns McCabe is in 'perilous condition' with emboldened Trump CNN anchor rips Trump over Stone while evoking Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting The Hill's 12:30 Report: New Hampshire fallout MORE's investigation, lambasted Democrats as "radical," hammered the need for border security and assured supporters that his trade posture toward China and other countries is working.

"Is there any place in the world that's more fun or more exciting than a Trump rally?" Trump asked supporters at one point.

New Mexico presents a stark challenge for the president to pick up its five electoral votes in 2020. Clinton won the state by roughly 8 percentage points in 2016, or 65,000 votes.

The state's elected officials skew Democratic, with the party holding control of the governor's mansion and both chambers of the state legislature. Both U.S. Senate seats and all three House seats are held by Democrats, and Republicans face a difficult path to winning the race to replace retiring Sen. Tom Udall Thomas (Tom) Stewart UdallLWCF modernization: Restoring the promise OVERNIGHT ENERGY: House Democrats tee up vote on climate-focused energy bill next week | EPA reappoints controversial leader to air quality advisory committee | Coronavirus creates delay in Pentagon research for alternative to 'forever chemicals' Senate Democrats demand White House fire controversial head of public lands agency MORE (D-N.M.).

The New Mexico Democratic Party sought to project confidence on Monday night about its standing moving forward with an event of its own to counterprogram Trump's rally.

But Republicans are adamant that the state is in play for Trump, along with other battlegrounds like Minnesota and New Hampshire, where the president has also held campaign events in recent weeks.

Rick Gorka, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, said the foundation for Monday's rally was laid when the campaign collected data from attendees of the president's El Paso, Texas, rally earlier this year that showed a number of attendees came from the Las Cruces, N.M., area.

The data indicated that the president had an opportunity to gain traction in the state, which hasn't been won by a Republican presidential candidate since George W. Bush narrowly carried it in 2004.

Gorka argued New Mexico's Democratic government provides an opportunity to illustrate ways the party has shifted further left and suggested that could provide an opening for Trump to tie the state to his regular attacks on national Democrats like Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Alexandria Ocasio-CortezOn The Money: Anxious Democrats push for vote on COVID-19 aid | Pelosi, Mnuchin ready to restart talks | Weekly jobless claims increase | Senate treads close to shutdown deadline McCarthy says there will be a peaceful transition if Biden wins Anxious Democrats amp up pressure for vote on COVID-19 aid MORE (D-N.Y.) and Ilhan Omar Ilhan OmarOmar urges Democrats to focus on nonvoters over 'disaffected Trump voters' Omar fires back at Trump over rally remarks: 'This is my country' Trump attacks Omar for criticizing US: 'How did you do where you came from?' MORE (D-Minn.).

"It’s a unique state in a way that we don’t have to really look hard to localize national issues," he said. "It’s already happening, and it'll continue to happen over the course of this cycle."