Ohio gasoline averaged $4.16 a gallon as President Donald Trump campaigned in Vandalia on Saturday. Canadian tariffs linked to his trade policy affected about $3 billion worth of Ohio exports. The rally came as Republicans defended a competitive U.S. Senate seat and their narrow congressional majority, with economic pressure weighing on voters before the midterm elections.
The Senate contest and the cost to voters
Trump was due to speak at 7 p.m. at Butler High School, where the event began at 5:30 p.m., according to the Republican National Committee. Hundreds of supporters lined up outside hours earlier. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, was expected to join Trump and other Republican politicians as the party tried to energize voters.
Husted, appointed to replace JD Vance in 2025, is running against former Sen. Sherrod Brown. Ohio voters will also choose a governor. The Senate contest ranks among eight races rated competitive, and outside political groups have spent tens of millions of dollars in Ohio, making it the country’s second-most-expensive Senate race, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
Inflation, gasoline prices and the war in Iran have added to voter concerns. Ohio gasoline prices rose 35% over the previous year, according to AAA. A Suffolk University/USA TODAY Ohio Network poll put Trump’s approval rating in Ohio at about 35%; a Marist poll found him at 42% among registered Ohio voters. Reuters reported Trump won more than 55% of Ohio’s vote in the 2024 presidential election.
Jobs, prices and competing claims
The Dispatch reported inflation remained at 3.4%, while Friday’s jobs report showed unemployment rising to 4.2%. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said the United States added 29,000 jobs in September, fewer than expected. In Middletown, Packaging Corporation of America planned to lay off about 90 employees as it closed a plant. A state filing said the company would let most employees at its Baltimore Street plant go on Dec. 1.
Nearly 1,400 workers also lost their jobs at what had been the Navistar truck factory in southwestern Ohio. The Associated Press reported the Springfield layoffs nearly erased a year of job growth in the greater Dayton area. Kyle Bos, a centrist and United Auto Workers member who had voted for Trump three times, told the AP he planned to vote for Democrats. “Something has to change politically in this country. Seems like it just kept getting worse and worse and worse.”
Husted told reporters he expected Iran to seek a peace deal and gasoline prices to fall after the Nov. 3 election. “I fully expect Iran is going to want to bring this to an end as soon as the midterms are over,” he said. He also said, “We need to lower prices on groceries, gasoline − there’s no doubt about that.” Husted pointed to Bayer’s plans for a manufacturing facility in suburban Columbus as an example of Ohio’s economic successes.
Brown’s campaign sent a mobile billboard outside the rally to criticize Husted over gasoline prices. Brown said Husted “voted 14 times for the reckless war in Iran that has caused the cost of gas and diesel to hit record highs.” He added that Ohioans “deserve a senator who will put them first, not one who sides with billionaires and corporations and makes them foot the bill.” Brown’s campaign didn’t respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Supporters and protesters
A couple dozen people gathered in a small park a few miles from the school to protest and promote Brown’s campaign. Mary Winfree, 69, said, “It must be a sign of desperation that he has to go to these red states to shore up the vote.” Montgomery County Democratic Chairwoman Jocelyn Rhynard said, “It’s amazing they think Trump’s low approval ratings will help Husted, but it’s fun to watch them try.”
The Ohio Democratic Party organized the gathering to criticize Republican policies linked to Husted and Trump and support Kristina Knickerbocker, a Democrat running against Republican Rep. Mike Turner in the Dayton area. Chris Gibbs, a Shelby County farmer, said Husted had stayed silent while farmers struggled to afford basic necessities. Outside the school, American flags lined the road, food trucks served attendees, and four high school students played cornhole beside the line.