Wisconsin.

Western Wisconsin yesterday in his first visit to the state since dropping out of the presidential race more than a month ago.

Here and now.

Reporter Aditi Debnath was ther.

>> Nestled in the heart of Wisconsin's driftless Area, the city of Westby could be considered an unlikely place for a visit from the president of the United States.

But Westby population, 2300, welcomed President Joe Biden to the Vernon Electric Cooperative all the same.

>> This marks Biden's first trip to Wisconsin since dropping out of the presidential race and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for the job.

>> Vice President Kamala Harris fought like hell for all of you and for the future worthy of your aspirations.

president's efforts to highlight his Investing in America agenda, including new investments into rural electric cooperatives like the one that hosted him and includes Dairyland Power $580 million to develop and purchase solar power, wind power energy stores right here in Wisconsin, and all across the Midwest.

Just last week, former President Donald Trump held a town hall style event in LA Crosse, just 30 miles from Westby.

He used the opportunity to criticize the Biden administration and promote his own campaign.

the worst president.

>> Biden also took time to criticize the former president's administration.

largest annual deficit in American history, $3 trillion.

>> The dueling visits from Biden and Trump highlight Wisconsin's status as a key battleground state.

Allison Prasch is an expert on presidential campaign strategies.

accident that Biden is the one being deployed to a community 30 miles away from where Trump just was.

>> She says parallel campaign visits are an old strategy, and sending Biden instead of Harris to a rural area was a smart choice.

>> Biden can speak to that community in a way that the actual nominee cannot in 2020.

>> Nearly half of Wisconsin voters came from small towns and rural areas, with a majority supporting Trump.

Westby is in Vernon County, which voted for Trump in 2020, but only by a few hundred votes.

Biden's choice to visit Westby may be an attempt to narrow this gap.

>> This is becoming a tradition for me.

I've come to see Joe Biden every time he's been in town.

enthusiastic about the high profile visit, especially now that Vice President Kamala Harris is the nominee.

>> We all would have voted for Joe if that was the choice, but this adds more energy, enthusiasm and a new message instead of same old, same old.

>> Do you think he made a good decision dropping out and endorsing Kamala Harris?

very concerned in the time leading up to that decision that we were really losing a lot of ground.

their campaign efforts in Wisconsin, it's clear that in a tight race, votes in every corner of the state matter in corner of the state matter in