President Donald Trump held telephone rallies for Republican Senate, gubernatorial and congressional candidates in Ohio and Pennsylvania on Saturday, urging supporters to turn out for Tuesday’s midterm elections as both parties compete for control of Congress.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump held a series of virtual campaign rallies Saturday, Oct. 31, supporting Republican candidates in Ohio and Pennsylvania as the GOP intensified efforts to mobilize voters ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, when control of the House and Senate will be decided.
Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump endorsed Ohio Republican Senate candidate Jon Husted, gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy and three congressional candidates. He also campaigned for Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Stacy Garrity and four Republican House incumbents seeking reelection.
According to reporting by Just the News, the telephone rallies were part of a broader Republican National Committee effort to increase turnout in competitive states during the final weekend before Election Day.
In Ohio, Trump urged voters to support Husted against former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, who lost his Senate seat to Republican Bernie Moreno in 2024. Husted, appointed to the Senate in 2025, is seeking to retain the seat in a special election.
“We have the most important midterm election, I think, of our lives,” Trump said during the Ohio tele-rally Saturday afternoon.
The president emphasized the importance of Republican turnout, particularly among voters who supported him during previous presidential elections but have been less likely to participate when he is not personally on the ballot.
“Please pretend I’m on the ballot because when I’m on the ballot, we get almost 50% more voters,” Trump said.
Trump praised Husted’s record in Ohio government and his previous college football career, describing him as respected among Republican lawmakers in Washington.
He also criticized Brown’s record on manufacturing, immigration and federal economic policy, arguing that the former senator had supported policies detrimental to Ohio workers.
Brown is challenging Husted in a contest that could affect the balance of power in the Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-47 advantage, including two independents who caucus with Democrats.
The president also endorsed Ramaswamy in Ohio’s gubernatorial election against Democrat Amy Acton, a former director of the Ohio Department of Health.
Trump highlighted Ramaswamy’s proposal to eliminate Ohio’s state income tax and his emphasis on economic development and manufacturing.
“Nobody is gonna fight harder to bring jobs to Ohio,” Trump said while discussing Ramaswamy’s campaign.
He criticized Acton’s handling of public health restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly measures affecting schools, churches and businesses.
Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur and former Republican presidential candidate, has made tax reductions and economic policy central elements of his campaign.
Trump also encouraged Ohio voters to support Republican congressional candidates Mike Carey, Eric Conroy and Derek Merrin.
Carey is seeking reelection in Ohio’s 15th Congressional District against Democrat Don Leonard. Conroy is challenging Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman in the 1st District, while Merrin is running against longtime Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur in the 9th District.
The president criticized the Democratic candidates over immigration policy, taxation and gun rights while emphasizing his administration’s economic and border enforcement priorities.
Trump also discussed the ongoing conflict with Iran, arguing that his administration’s military operations had reduced the threat posed by Tehran’s nuclear program.
He said the conflict would end soon and predicted that energy prices would decline.
“We’ve been at war with them since 1979. They started it. We didn’t start it, but we finished it. And it’ll be over very soon,” Trump said.
The president’s remarks reflected his broader effort to connect Republican congressional candidates with his administration’s record on economic policy, immigration enforcement, prescription drug costs and national security.
In Pennsylvania, Trump participated in a separate telephone rally supporting Garrity, the Republican nominee challenging Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro.
He also endorsed Republican Reps. Ryan Mackenzie, Rob Bresnahan, Scott Perry and Lloyd Smucker, whose races form part of the GOP’s effort to defend its narrow House majority.
According to Pennsylvania television station WHP, Trump urged Pennsylvania Republicans to support Garrity and the congressional candidates, emphasizing their positions on taxation, public safety and constitutional protections.
Garrity, Pennsylvania’s state treasurer, is attempting to unseat Shapiro, who is seeking another term as governor.
During the Pennsylvania tele-rally, Trump emphasized the Republican candidates’ positions on gun rights and praised their ratings from the National Rifle Association.
“Stacy Garrity, Scott Perry, Lloyd Smucker, Ryan Mackenzie, and Rob Bresnahan all have an A rating with the NRA, which is not, not an easy thing to get,” Trump said.
The president argued that electing the Republican candidates would strengthen his administration’s ability to maintain existing gun rights protections.
“The Second Amendment is under siege, and I need all the help I can get,” he said.
He also criticized Shapiro, describing Garrity’s Democratic opponent as overrated and arguing that Pennsylvania would benefit from Republican leadership.
Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation remains important to the national contest for control of the House, particularly in districts where Republicans are defending seats against Democratic challengers.
Mackenzie represents Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, while Bresnahan represents the 8th District. Perry holds the 10th District seat, and Smucker represents the 11th District.
Republican candidates in those districts have campaigned on immigration enforcement, economic policy and support for the Trump administration, while Democratic challengers have focused on affordability, health care and government accountability.
The Pennsylvania and Ohio calls were part of six telephone rallies Trump conducted Saturday.
His schedule also included two calls supporting Florida Republicans and additional events for candidates in New York and Michigan, according to the president’s public schedule maintained by Roll Call.
Trump began the Pennsylvania call at approximately 2 p.m. Eastern, followed by Ohio at 2:45 p.m., Florida at 3:30 p.m., New York at 4:15 p.m., another Florida event at 4:45 p.m. and Michigan at 5:15 p.m.
The events allowed Trump to reach Republican voters in several states without traveling between campaign locations, while providing candidates with direct presidential endorsements during the final days of the election.
The Republican National Committee previously announced that Trump would replace several planned in-person appearances with telephone rallies.
A scheduled Sunday campaign event in Dubuque, Iowa, was canceled, with party officials instead preparing virtual events across numerous states.
According to KCRG in Iowa, the Republican campaign’s telephone outreach plans included Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.
The shift reflects the campaign’s emphasis on contacting voters in multiple competitive states shortly before Election Day.
Republican officials have expressed concern about whether voters who participate in presidential elections will return to the polls in sufficient numbers during the midterms.
Trump addressed that concern directly during his Ohio remarks, arguing that Republican candidates needed to persuade supporters to vote even though he was not seeking reelection.
The outcome of Tuesday’s elections will determine whether Republicans retain their House and Senate majorities or whether Democrats gain control of one or both chambers during the final two years of Trump’s presidency.
A change in congressional control would affect legislative priorities, federal spending negotiations, committee leadership and oversight of the executive branch.
As the campaign entered its final weekend, Trump continued using telephone rallies and direct endorsements to support Republican candidates in competitive races, with Ohio and Pennsylvania among the states receiving particular attention before voters head to the polls Tuesday.
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