President Donald Trump traveled to Youngstown, Ohio, on Monday to rally support for Republican candidates Jon Husted and Vivek Ramaswamy, who are competing in tight races for Senate and governor.
With Election Day three weeks away, Trump returned to the industrial region to help his party retain key offices in a state he won by 11 percentage points in 2024.
The rally marked Trump's second visit to Ohio in 10 days, according to The New York Times.
Husted is seeking to retain his Senate seat, while Ramaswamy is running for governor.
Both candidates have remained closely aligned with Trump as Republicans contend with strong Democratic enthusiasm and concerns about persistently high prices.
Youngstown and the surrounding Mahoning Valley were once Democratic strongholds, but many voters shifted toward Republicans after Trump presented himself as an advocate for working-class communities affected by globalization.
Officials from both parties now view these voters as potentially decisive in the closely contested races.
Trump used the rally to emphasize his political message and appeal to supporters in the region.
"Ohio is going to prove that America does not belong to those who hate it," Trump said. "America belongs to those who love it."
Husted highlighted the region's political transformation while standing beside Trump at the arena.
He credited the president's earlier campaigns with helping Republicans establish a stronger position among voters in the Youngstown area.
"The Youngstown area for decades used to vote Democrat, and then you ran for office in 2016 and flipped it red forever," Husted said.
"Is that right, folks?"
The crowd responded with cheers, although the arena had at least two sections containing large areas of empty seats, according to The New York Times.
Trump also announced initiatives intended to demonstrate federal support for the region.
He said a new Defense Department facility would be based in Cleveland to repair submarine components and promised to ensure that a heat provider serving Youngstown remained open.
Republican candidates in other competitive states, including Michigan and Iowa, have sought to distance themselves from Trump.
Ohio's candidates, by contrast, have continued to campaign alongside him, relying on his ability to mobilize Republican voters.
Several other political figures attended the event, including Representative Max Miller, who faces allegations of physically abusing his former wife and young daughter.
Miller has denied the allegations.
His estranged father-in-law, Senator Bernie Moreno, was also present.
Moreno defeated former Senator Sherrod Brown, the Democratic candidate who challenged Husted's party in the previous Senate election, two years ago.
Trump praised the candidates during the rally, singling out Husted, a former football player, for his athletic background and physical stature.
"I don't do this with men very often," Trump said. "I started examining his body, because I didn't know he was a great athlete."
The visit underscored the importance of Ohio's competitive statewide contests to Republicans as the election approaches.
Although Trump carried the state comfortably in 2024, polling cited by The New York Times indicates that the Senate and governor races remain closely contested.
