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Trump Urges Ohioans to Vote GOP in Midterms
Confirmed
In Short: The rally was seen as crucial for motivating low-propensity, Trump-loyal voters ahead of the midterms.
President Donald Trump rallied supporters in Vandalia, Ohio, on Saturday, urging them to vote for Republican candidates in the upcoming midterm elections.
Trump told the crowd, 'If you don’t mind, please pretend that I’m on the ballot,' and emphasized the importance of turning out for a midterm victory.
The president highlighted economic gains and investments in Ohio, such as a $400 million Stellantis investment in Toledo and an $850 million Electra aerospace investment near Springfield, crediting these to his tariff agenda.
Trump also promoted the idea of Ohio hosting the U.S. National Space Academy, citing the state's aviation history and the Wright brothers.
Knickerbocker, the Democratic candidate running against Republican incumbent Mike Turner for Ohio’s 10th Congressional District, spoke to voters in response to Trump’s visit.
Knickerbocker discussed what she has heard from voters during her campaign, emphasizing issues like affordability and access to healthcare.
Husted, the Republican candidate for Senate, told NBC News that if the same voters who supported Trump in the last election turn out, they will win.
Voter registration in Ohio closes on October 5, and early in-person voting begins on October 6.
Trump also urged Ohio voters to support Issue 3, which would enshrine the state’s current voter-ID requirement in the state constitution.
Political analysts noted that Trump's strength with swing voters may be limited, and some Republican candidates are seeking distance from him.
Trump’s campaign in Ohio comes as Republicans are grappling with how to win in a climate where polls show Trump and the war in Iran are highly unpopular.
Background
Trump urged Ohioans to 'pretend that I'm running' and to vote for Republicans in the midterms, emphasizing the importance of turning out for a midterm victory.
President Donald Trump rallied supporters in Vandalia, Ohio, on Saturday, urging them to vote for Republican candidates in the upcoming midterm elections.
What's confirmed
- Democrat Kristina Knickerbocker, who is running against Republican incumbent Mike Turner for Ohio’s 10th Congressional District, spoke to voters in response to the president’s visit.
- VANDALIA, Ohio (WXIX) - President Donald Trump took the stage at the Butler-Vandalia Student Activity Center Thursday evening, 30 days before the midterm elections, as candidates make their final push for votes in November.
- Both sides stressed what is at stake in the midterms, with control of the Senate and the House of Representatives up for grabs.
- Knickerbocker also discussed what she has heard from voters during her campaign.
What's still developing
- President Donald Trump swept into Ohio Saturday night promoting what he calls a new "golden age" for America, pointing to billions of dollars in investment and new jobs in the Buckeye State as he urged voters to help keep Republicans in power in November.
- For the third time in as many nights, Trump rallied supporters outside Dayton for Republicans Sen. Jon Husted and gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, casting the midterms as a chance to extend the economic and political gains he said the GOP has delivered since his return to the White House.
- And with his own name absent from the ballot, Trump gave voters gathered a simple instruction.
- A well-known, pro-AI super political action committee is behind a new group that plans to blast voters in key battleground states with ads advocating for data centers, several outlets are reporting.
- Trump is campaigning in red and red-friendly regions ahead of the midterms after pressure from his party to sway public opinion in the GOP's favor.
- “As a lifelong Republican who’s voted in every election since I was 18 and in every primary election as a Republican, I have real concerns that we’re going to be able to turn out the every-four-year Trump voter,” Nick Owens, a former GOP chair in Ohio’s Brown County and former member of the state Board of Education, told NBC News last month.
- Alex Triantafilou, the Ohio GOP chair, told NBC News that the rally was “hugely important” in the effort to motivate those low-propensity, Trump-loyal voters.
- “If we win the midterms, Ohio will be very, very strongly considered for this,” he said, noting that the state was home to the Wright Brothers, who pioneered powered flight.
- He also said they should pass the constitutional amendment requiring voters to present ID cards.
- “So do not miss this chance. Vote yes on issue three to require voter ID,” Trump said.
- “We’re here today to prioritize people, not profits, not power. We’re here to lower your costs, and get you healthcare that you can access and afford,” Knickerbocker said.
- “We are going to win the Republican majorities in the House and Senate. We are going to have a great success, and nobody counted on the fact that Trump would go out and campaign for all these people,” a speaker said at the rally.