USA28 September, 20263 min read
Trump And JD Vance Plan Aggressive October Campaign Across Alabama, Oklahoma, Florida, Texas, Michigan, Ohio
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Trump and Vance execute aggressive October campaign tour across Alabama, Oklahoma, Florida, Texas, Michigan, Ohio. Advisers expect minimal persuade of independents; focus on mobilizing Republican turnout.
5 outlets told this the same way.
Outlets did split on White House Officials Question How Long Katie Zacharia Will Stay Press Secretary After First Briefing →
Turnout and travel blitz
Donald Trump’s inner circle is planning an aggressive campaign schedule for Trump and Vice President JD Vance in October, with Trump on the campaign trail for most days in October in both battleground and deep-red states alike. A Trump adviser told CNN, “It’s obviously going to be f***ing rough,” and the adviser said the best-case scenario is achieving what Democrats did in 2022 when, under former President Joe Biden, they narrowly lost control of the House but kept the Senate. Trump’s senior advisers, including chief of staff Susie Wiles, put together a calendar with Trump planning trips to Alabama and Oklahoma next week, while a GOP official said those were “outliers” in a travel strategy focused more on battleground districts.
The campaign plan also includes Trump “playing hard in Florida, Texas, Michigan and Ohio,” with the official saying Trump would be on the road just about every day in October campaigning. A Trump operative told CNN that “The system is built around what areas we need to goose turnout 2-3 points,” as advisers said their only hope at holding ground is increasing turnout and the president can help with that.
Candidates distance, messaging
Republican candidates have openly broken with the president, and the strategy discussion centers on whether GOP candidates can distance themselves from Trump while still benefiting from his turnout power.
A GOP official brushed off concerns about candidates distancing from the president, saying “they need to run the races they need to run, and we’re obviously encouraging them to do what they need to do.”
Republican Mike Rogers, the Michigan Senate candidate, lamented in a recent ad that “Groceries cost too much. We have to bring prices down,” and Rogers said, “The war with Iran needs to end and end quickly.”
The strategy also includes Senate and House lawmakers who have voted to limit Trump’s war powers, while House lawmakers in Florida and Texas have criticized the administration on immigration and several others removed Trump references from campaign websites.
The campaign’s political money trail includes Trump’s MAGA Inc. PAC, and CNN described new groups with far less politically aligned names: No Going Back PAC Inc. and Safety & Affordability PAC Inc.
Senate spending and polling
Republicans’ midterm strategy is shaped by uncertainty about holding the Senate, and CNN said the Senate Leadership Fund increased its spending in Texas to $100 million to support GOP Senate candidate Ken Paxton. An operative told CNN that the enormous sum was moving the needle “some,” while the operative said it wasn’t clear it would be enough to reverse the strong political headwinds created by the president himself. In parallel, the Democrats’ advantage in the fight for control of Congress widened as NBC News’ poll average placed Democrats ahead of Republicans in the generic congressional vote by 52% to 43%, a 9-point margin on average.
NPR/Marist’s poll gave Democrats an even larger edge, 12 points, and the polling described Trump’s approval as hitting its lowest point, with Reuters/Ipsos showing his approval rating falling to 32%. The polling narrative also said the Cook Political Report moved 15 congressional districts toward Democrats and projected Democrats will win between 5 and 15 net seats, while Sabato’s Crystal Ball shifted three Senate seats and four governorships toward Democrats.