Trump, Obama Split Midterm Campaign Strategy in Final Week

President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama are splitting their final week of campaigning before the November 3 election, targeting different regions with distinct strategic goals. Trump returns to Ohio on Wednesday, his third visit to the state in one month, to help Republicans defend their majority in Congress. On the same day, Obama heads to Georgia to support Democratic candidates.

The president is focusing on states he won easily in 2024, including Mississippi, which he visited on Monday, and Texas, where he campaigned on Tuesday. His schedule includes upcoming stops in South Carolina, Florida, Kansas, and Iowa. This defensive approach comes amid high fuel prices and public dissatisfaction with the war in Iran. The Republican National Committee and the MAGA Inc. super PAC are providing financial support to candidates in this final stretch.

Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to campaign in North Carolina, a state where Republicans are worried about losing a Senate seat. Michael Whatley, the former national party chair, is the Republican nominee seeking to succeed retiring Senator Thom Tillis. He faces Democrat Roy Cooper, a former governor, in a race that many party officials view as difficult to win.

In Georgia, Obama will join former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who is aiming to become the first Black woman elected governor in the United States. He will also stand with Senator Jon Ossoff, who is running for reelection and is considered a potential future presidential candidate. Obama has been active in recent campaigns, most recently criticizing Trump in Michigan over White House renovations and the president's personal wealth.

In Ohio, Trump is backing the Republican ticket of Vivek Ramaswamy for governor and Senator Jon Husted. Husted, a former college football player, is running to complete Vance's term. Trump often praises Husted's physical appearance during speeches. The Democratic nominee for the Senate seat is former Senator Sherrod Brown.

Ramaswamy is running against Amy Acton, a former Ohio state health director. A late-breaking controversy involves an advertisement from Acton's campaign featuring her mother, Donna Arthur. The ad calls Acton a liar who needs help due to a serious problem with honesty. Arthur lost custody of her children after her husband was indicted for raping Acton at age 12. Acton says she has not seen her mother since 1978.

Trump supports the advertisement, but other Republicans, including Husted, have kept their distance from the spot to minimize its impact on the race.