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President Trump is heading to Kentucky Saturday to rally supporters and shore up Republicans facing unexpectedly competitive races — including a House contest that could put another seat at risk for the GOP.
Trump’s trip to Highland Heights, in Northern Kentucky, also puts him just across the Ohio River from battleground Ohio, where former US Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) is trying to reclaim his seat from US Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio), who was appointed to fill the vacancy left by Vice President JD Vance.
Trump has visited Ohio four times during his current term, including two trips this month. During one visit, he joked about examining Husted’s backside — a reminder of the state’s importance as Republicans fight to preserve their 53-47 Senate majority and narrow 218-214 House majority.
The race is considered a pure tossup, in a state Trump carried against former Vice President Kamala Harris 55-44 in 2024, according to the Cook Political Report.
Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, said Trump’s decision to campaign in a state he won handily was a troubling sign for Republicans.
“I don’t take any vote for granted” he told reporters this week. “But the fact that in the weeks leading up to this midterm election, the president’s coming to a state he won by 31 points that he believes he needs, suggest to me that Republicans are in big trouble,” he said, slightly padding Trump’s 30-point 2016 victory.
Trump’s rally also gives him access to Ohio television markets and a chance to demonstrate loyalty to a congressional candidate, Ed Gallrein, he helped push through a primary by opposing the incumbent, said University of Kentucky political scientist Stephen Voss.
It also puts Trump within reach of another congressional district where Republicans face a tougher fight, Voss said.
Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) is hoping to fill Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) seat, and is battling Democratic state Rep. Charles Booker.
A Global Strategy Group poll released by Booker’s campaign Sept. 9 had him trailing 49-40, with a margin of error of 4%. McConnell, 84, has occasionally bedeviled Trump, even while pushing through his court nominees and being sidelined by health challenges.
Barr’s Senate bid has opened up a House seat in the Lexington area, about a 90-minute drive from Trump’s rally. Democrat Zach Dembo, a former Navy JAG officer who left his job as a federal prosecutor in the Trump Justice Department, is challenging Republican Ralph Alvarado, a former state health commissioner.
The Cook Political Report moved the district Oct. 9 from “safe Republican” to the more competitive “leans Republican” category.
Republicans are favored in the state’s 4th Congressional District, where Trump helped knock off Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) in the primary, calling him a “nutjob”. Now, primary winner Ed Gallrein, a retired Navy SEAL, is taking on Democrat businesswoman Melissa Strange. Gallrein is favored, but some younger voters and indepdnents are threatening to stay home.
“Every once in a while you see a case where the electorate is angered so much that they sit on their hands,” said Voss.
Analysts say persistent inflation, the Iran war, and fuel costs have made races competitive across the country even in Republican-leaning territory.
Trump’s trip followed visits to Alaska, Montana, and Georgia this week.