Trump to travel to Ohio to stump for Sen. Jon Husted as the Republican faces competitive challenge

VANDALIA, Ohio (AP) — President Donald Trump plans to visit Ohio on Saturday in support of Sen. Jon Husted as the Republican tries to fend off a competitive challenge from Democratic former Sen. Sherrod Brown.

The trip to Vandalia, just north of Dayton, is scheduled to come after stops in Oklahoma on Thursday and Alabama on Friday. The Ohio race is seen as vital to determining control of the Senate.

Trump had earlier vowed to campaign in 35 of the most competitive battleground races in the final sprint to November’s midterm elections.

Brown is attempting a comeback two years after losing his Senate seat to Republican Bernie Moreno. Husted is a veteran of Republican politics in Ohio, having served as a state lawmaker, House speaker, secretary of state and lieutenant governor before being tapped to fill the Senate seat vacated by JD Vance when he became vice president.

Ohio Republican Party Chairman Alex Triantafilou recently told The Associated Press that he hoped Trump would visit his state, where he won in 2024 by 11 percentage points.

“We definitely want him here,” Triantafilou said. “He’s a turnout driver for us.”

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Tucker reported from Washington.