HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Joe Biden is picking Pennsylvania for his first campaign speech of the presidential race. That signals his hopes of owning what may be the toughest battleground of next year's election.

The former vice president's speech to an organized labor crowd Monday afternoon in Pittsburgh comes days after he announced his candidacy and attended a fundraiser in Philadelphia. For Biden, planting a flag in Pennsylvania makes sense: The longtime former senator from Delaware was born in Pennsylvania, has numerous ties to it and can use his deep inroads with influential state party figures to his advantage.

President Donald Trump's campaign is already mapping out a strategy to win Pennsylvania for a second time, and the state forms the core of the president's likeliest path to victory.