Trump’s Midterm Rally Blitz Aims to Energize GOP Base Ahead of 2026 Elections

President Donald Trump has embarked on an intensive midterm campaign swing, holding at least six rallies between October 10 and October 16 across swing states, including Arizona, Montana, Iowa, Ohio and Georgia. The tour continues with a scheduled rally in Perry, Georgia on October 24, a Chillicothe, Ohio rally later in October, and further appearances in early November as the November 3 election approaches. The rallies are framed as a “test of his political movement,” with Trump urging supporters to “pretend I’m on the ballot” and to turn out in record numbers.

Newsweek

Midterm elections traditionally pose challenges for the president’s party. Republicans are defending narrow majorities in the House and Senate while confronting high inflation, elevated gas prices linked to the ongoing war in Iran, and declining approval ratings for Trump. Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described the president as “defiant” and “optimistic” as he travels from North Carolina to Michigan, emphasizing the need to mobilize voters who typically stay home in midterm cycles.

Fox News (website)

• Iowa approval: A Marist poll conducted October 8-11 found 44 % of Iowans approving of Trump’s performance and 53 % disapproving.

Des Moines Register

• Iowa Senate race: Polls show a tight contest between Republican Ashley Hinson and Democrat Josh Turek. The Marist poll (Oct 8-11) gave Turek a three-point lead (48 % to 45 %). The Emerson poll (Oct 5-6) and a CNN/SSRS poll (Sept 29-Oct 5) each placed Hinson ahead by two points. Suffolk University (Oct 1-4) reported Turek leading 48 % to 44 %.

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• Georgia Senate: A Quantus Insights poll (Oct 15-17) shows incumbent Democrat Jon Ossoff leading Republican Mike Collins 52 % to 45 %.

Newsweek

• Georgia governor: An InsiderAdvantage poll (Oct 12-13) gave Republican Rick Jackson a 49 % to 47 % edge over Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms; a later Quantus poll (Oct 15-17) narrowed the margin to 48 %-47 %.

Newsweek

• Early voting: As of October 24, 1,701,009 mail-in and in-person ballots have been cast in Georgia, representing roughly 21 % of the state’s 8.19 million registered voters.

Newsweek

• Vice President J.D.

Newsweek

• Representative Ashley Hinson labeled a proposed diesel-fuel deal with Russia a “bad idea.”

Newsweek

• President Trump expressed concern that his voice might fail during the grueling schedule, asking, “My only question was, ‘Will my voice hold out?’”

Newsweek

Former President Barack Obama used a rally in Cleveland to mock Trump’s focus on White House renovations, questioning whether the president “should be on HGTV” and suggesting that the administration is more interested in “vanity projects” than governing.

Daily Beast

Polls for the Iowa Senate race present contradictory leads: the Marist and Suffolk surveys favor Democrat Turek, while the Emerson and CNN/SSRS surveys show Republican Hinson ahead. Similarly, Georgia’s gubernatorial race shows a shifting advantage for Republican Jackson across two polls within a week. No source provides definitive voter-turnout projections for the November 3 election, leaving the impact of Trump’s rally tour on actual turnout uncertain.

Newsweek

Early voting continues in Iowa, Georgia and other battleground states, with absentee and in-person ballots already being cast. The scheduled October 24 Georgia rally and the later Ohio rally will be among the final public appearances before Election Day on November 3. Campaigns for Senate, House and gubernatorial contests are expected to intensify their outreach in the days leading up to the vote.

Newsweek