Trump Returns To Ohio As Midterm Campaign Closes

WASHINGTON, Oct. 28. President Donald Trump travels to Ohio on Wednesday for his third visit to the state this month, part of a closing argument aimed at keeping Republicans in charge of Congress before the Nov. 3 midterms. Former President Barack Obama will hold a rally the same day in Georgia.

The trips arrive against a backdrop of record fuel prices, rising household costs and public unease about the war in Iran, conditions shaping voter attitudes in the final week. Trump's stops have centered on states he carried two years ago, and he visited Mississippi on Monday and Texas on Tuesday. South Carolina, Florida, Kansas and Iowa are on his itinerary for the days ahead.

Vance, the vice president, is working North Carolina, where Republicans have expressed concern about holding a Senate seat. Michael Whatley, the former national party chair, is running against Democrat Roy Cooper, a former governor, for the seat being vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis.

Obama, the last Democratic president to serve two terms, has increased his appearances for the party and has criticized Trump over White House renovations and over growing wealth accumulated while in office. In Georgia, he plans to appear alongside former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, a candidate for governor, and Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is running for reelection.

In Ohio, the Republican slate for governor pairs wealthy biotech executive Vivek Ramaswamy with Sen. Jon Husted, who is seeking to finish Vance's Senate term. Former Sen. Sherrod Brown carries the Democratic nomination for Senate. Ramaswamy faces former public health official Amy Acton, and an ad produced by his campaign has drawn criticism: Donna Arthur, Acton's mother, called her daughter 'a liar' who 'needs help.' Arthur has not seen her daughter in nearly 50 years. Acton, Ohio's former state health director, says she has not seen her mother since 1978. Trump backed the ad, while Husted and other Republicans have distanced themselves from it.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to join Trump in Ohio, according to a senior U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity because Rubio's schedule had not been announced. Rubio stood with Trump at two events Tuesday in Texas. Secretaries of state have historically stayed out of campaign politics for protocol and legal reasons; Rubio's Texas appearance was paired with an announcement about a major delivery of crude oil from Venezuela.