President Donald Trump is preparing to campaign before November’s midterms across seven states where his net approval rating has fallen sharply since the beginning of his second term and currently ranges from plus 5 to minus 20, according to national polling data. The president is set to visit Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Iowa, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas, according to reporting by POLITICO and The , as Republicans seek to boost turnout and defend increasingly competitive territory in the campaign’s closing stretch. Trump is expected to hold a rally in Durant, Oklahoma, on October 1, to support his endorsed Republican gubernatorial nominee Mike Mazzei, who faces Democratic state House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson in the race to succeed term-limited Governor Kevin Stitt.
He is then expected to visit Mobile, Alabama, the following day, POLITICO reports, with an event aimed at boosting Republican Rhett Marques; travel to Vandalia, Ohio, on October 3 to support Senator Jon Husted; campaign for Ken Paxton in Texas and Senator Dan Sullivan in Alaska; and make further appearances in Iowa and Florida, where details have not yet been made public. It points to a broader push into Republican territory as the party grows more concerned about defending once-reliable states in the closing weeks of the midterms. Five of the reported stops on the president’s midterm campaign tour are in states where more registered voters disapprove than approve of his performance, Civiqs rolling tracker data shows, complicating his effort to help Republican candidates in places he carried comfortably in 2024.
Civiqs’ rolling tracker shows that, as of September 28, Trump remained above water in only Alabama and Oklahoma among those seven states he plans to visit. It also shows that, since Trump returned to office on January 20, 2025: Although presidential approval does not predict the outcome of an individual race, because candidate quality, turnout and local issues can outweigh national opinion, the comparison does show that Trump will be campaigning in states offering a markedly less favorable environment than when he returned to office. Trump said earlier in September that he planned to campaign in 35 competitive races before Election Day.
His emerging itinerary shows Republicans defending far more than the traditional battlegrounds. Closely watched Republican Senate, House, and gubernatorial campaigns could benefit from Trump’s turnout operation while inheriting the political liabilities reflected in his ratings. Trump has asked voters to "pretend that I’m on the ballot," but his low approval ratings make that a risky wager, potentially energizing opponents as much as his Republican base.
The campaign swing is expected to begin October 1 in Durant, Oklahoma. Tentative appearances in Mobile, Alabama, and Vandalia, Ohio, would follow, with Iowa, Florida, Texas and Alaska also included in plans whose dates and locations have not all been announced. The route brings together two different political tasks.
Alabama and Oklahoma offer favorable territory for mobilizing Republican voters. Elsewhere, Trump will be campaigning with negative ratings as GOP candidates navigate races that have become unexpectedly close. Civiqs puts Trump at 48 percent approval and 44 percent disapproval in Oklahoma, producing a net rating of plus 4.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
