Trump defiant about midterm chances as he rallies for Republicans in Ohio

President Donald Trump visited Vandalia, Ohio, to campaign for Republican contenders and framed a defiant outlook for the November midterm elections, telling the crowd he expected a “big surprise” and urging supporters to vote. He explicitly backed Senate candidate Jon Husted and gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy, saying higher turnout would deliver a strong wins for Republicans. Trump addressed local economic concerns at the rally, linking national issues to Ohio voters’ experiences. His approval has declined amid rising prices for gasoline and other staples since the 2024 election; AAA data cited in reporting show Ohio petrol prices rose about 35% over the past year to an average of $4.16 per gallon. The report also noted retaliatory Canadian tariffs tied to US trade policy with Canada that affect roughly $3bn of Ohio exports, based on 2025 figures reported by CBC. Data centres were a major theme of the stop. Trump highlighted his administration’s policies on facilities built for artificial intelligence and praised Husted’s efforts to shape legislation on the issue, while warning such investment could go to China if not encouraged in Ohio. The broader debate over data centres has drawn bipartisan scrutiny over their effects on electricity costs, farmland and water supplies; Husted has faced repeated attacks in the state for his role in attracting those projects when he was lieutenant governor. Congressional maneuvering on the topic also featured in the background: the Republican-controlled Senate attempted to advance a bill sponsored by Husted that would have directed utility regulators to charge large power users more, but the measure was blocked by nearly all Senate Democrats. In the run-up to Trump’s visit, incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown criticized Husted on social media, asserting Husted had given substantial tax breaks to tech firms and that Ohioans were left to shoulder costs.