Trump rallies Ohio Republicans as competitive midterm races intensify

VANDALIA, Ohio — President Donald Trump urged supporters Saturday to turn out for Republican candidates in Ohio’s closely watched Senate and governor’s races, predicting a “big surprise” in the November 3 midterm elections despite signs of a difficult political climate for his party.

“Just get out and vote,” Trump told the crowd at a high school gym near Dayton. “If you do that, we’re going to win, and we’re going to win big.”

The rally backed Sen. Jon Husted, who faces Democrat Sherrod Brown, and Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy, who is running against Democrat Amy Acton. Trump also voiced support for several House candidates, including Rep. Mike Turner and Derek Merrin, who is challenging Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur, NBC News reported.

Husted was appointed to the Senate after JD Vance was elected vice president. His race against Brown is among the contests that could determine control of the chamber. NBC News reported that Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC affiliated with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, put another $14 million into Ohio this week, bringing its investment in the state to $93 million.

Trump, who won Ohio three times, acknowledged the challenge of getting his supporters to vote when he is not on the ballot. “When I run, we win,” he said. “So what I’m going to do is ask you to just pretend that I’m running.” Husted told reporters that if the voters who gave Trump an 11-point Ohio victory in the last presidential election turn out again, “we’ll win.”

Prices and the war in Iran have entered the Senate campaign. According to Al Jazeera, Ohio petrol prices rose 35 percent over the past year to an average of $4.16 a gallon, citing American Automobile Association data. Husted told reporters the United States must win the Iran war “on our terms” and said he was “showing people that I’m fighting for lower prices.” Brown’s campaign sent a mobile billboard near the rally linking Husted’s support for the war to higher gas prices, NBC News reported.

The candidates also clashed over data centers. Trump praised Husted’s unsuccessful effort to advance legislation addressing electricity costs associated with large power users. Nearly all Senate Democrats blocked the measure, according to Al Jazeera. Brown accused Husted of giving Big Tech billions in tax breaks to build data centers in Ohio and leaving residents to pay the bill. Trump defended the projects: “There’s so much money to be made for Ohio. You can’t just turn them off. They’ll go to China.”

In the governor’s race, Ramaswamy faces Acton, a physician who served as Ohio’s health director under term-limited Republican Gov. Mike DeWine. Polls show a close contest, NBC News reported, despite Ohio not having elected a Democratic governor in 20 years.

Trump invited both Husted and Ramaswamy back onstage during his speech. Former NFL coach Jon Gruden, a former University of Dayton football teammate of Husted’s, also appeared and told the crowd that Husted “will never quit on you or anybody.”