Trump rallies Ohio voters to back Republicans in tight Senate and governor races as midterms loom
From the Newshound archive · first published 3 October 2026 · last updated 5 October 2026.
President Donald Trump travelled to Vandalia, Ohio on Saturday to stump for Senator Jon Husted and governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, both locked in close races with Democrats one month before the midterm elections. The Ohio rally follows Friday night's stop in Mobile, Alabama, where Trump told roughly 8,000 supporters to 'close your eyes and pretend I'm on the ballot.' Republicans face a tougher-than-expected midterm environment as Trump's approval ratings have slipped amid the Iran war, rising gas prices and higher grocery bills.
Former NFL coach Jon Gruden made a surprise appearance at the Ohio rally, vouching for Husted, his old University of Dayton teammate.
Ohio voter Kelly Savage-Radich, a lifelong Republican who backed Trump in 2016 and 2020, says soaring costs may force her family to sell a car — and she now calls him 'a disaster.'
Trump told the Alabama crowd the Iran war will end after the midterms, promising oil prices will 'come tumbling down' once it does.