President Trump will visit a Peterbilt Motors Company manufacturing plant in Denton, Texas, on Thursday afternoon, touting his economic record and what he calls a resurgence of American manufacturing. The stop opens a five-state swing through Republican territory: Oklahoma, Alabama, Ohio and Nebraska are also on the itinerary. Election Day is a little more than a month away.
The White House listed a 4:05 p.m. EDT departure for Texas. Remarks and a rally in Durant, Oklahoma, follow at 7 p.m. EDT. Alabama comes Friday, with Nebraska on Monday.
The Pitch and the Pushback
Trump didn’t directly answer Wednesday when asked in the Oval Office whether the tour signaled trouble for Republicans. “We have the best economy anywhere in the world,” he said. “There’s no economy like this economy. The only thing we don’t have is good public relations. We don’t seem to be able to get the word across.”
Some Republicans question the itinerary. Donor Dan Eberhart said, “Nobody can motivate the base like Trump,” but added, “I would rather see him in the more competitive Senate race spots like North Carolina, Texas, or Iowa.” Scott Tranter of Decision Desk HQ was blunt: “Campaigns and presidents don’t spend time where they’re not needed, so that is a data point.”
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) saw no problem. “He can talk about how much he’s cut taxes, how we’re adding jobs, how the economy is growing,” Scott said. Republican leaders had planned to promote their tax bill before November. War, high gas prices and persistent inflation have since become voters’ top concerns.
Races Where the Money Is Going
Texas offers the biggest prize. Democratic state Rep. James Talarico leads Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) in polls. Trump’s super PAC has spent millions in recent weeks to back Paxton. Democrats haven’t held a Texas Senate seat since Lloyd Bentsen, and they see openings among Hispanic voters moving away from the GOP.
Oklahoma is tighter than its ratings suggest. The Cook Political Report calls the governor’s race “solid Republican,” though a Democratic operative claims polling shows it tied. Trump’s pick, Mike Mazzei, won his August runoff by less than a point. Campaign spokesman Jahan Wilcox said Mazzei “fights to eliminate the state income tax, abolish property taxes for seniors and veterans, and make Oklahoma more affordable for every family.” An unnamed GOP strategist called Mazzei “the worst possible candidate out of the field of Republicans in Oklahoma.” The Democratic Governors Association declared that “Republicans are in full-on panic mode.” A Republican source countered that the Oklahoma and Alabama stops also reach the Florida and Texas media markets.
In Ohio, Sen. Jon Husted (R) defends his seat against former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D), who lost narrowly two years ago even as Trump won the state comfortably. Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton are close in the governor’s race.
In Nebraska, Sen. Pete Ricketts (R) faces Independent Dan Osborn. Energy costs are drawing attention in the agriculture-dependent state. “There’s no doubt that high fuel prices put a strain on the budgets for every Nebraska family,” Ricketts told CNN’s Dana Bash. Former Rep. Hal Daub (R) said the visit aims to keep Republicans from “sleeping on the midterms.”
A Senate Out the Door
The Senate left town late Wednesday for a multiweek recess, with a long to-do list. Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) pushed the farm bill, FISA reauthorization, the annual defense authorization bill, 12 regular appropriations bills, a permitting reform bill and an emergency supplemental defense spending package to the lame-duck session. Senators will have four full weeks after they return in November.
Senate Democrats blocked Ricketts’ Stop Insider Trading Act, 53-47, short of the 60 votes needed. Schumer called it “a permission slip for corruption, not a stock-trading ban.” The chamber also rejected Husted’s Ratepayer Protection Act, 57-43, with four Democrats joining Republicans. The bill would have required utility regulators to consider a federal standard under which large companies, not consumers, bear new energy infrastructure costs for data centers. Senators also confirmed Keith Sonderling as permanent Labor secretary, 47-41, on party lines.
Why This Matters:
The tour shows that even Republican-leaning states aren’t guaranteed, as energy prices, inflation and war weigh on voters. For taxpayers and markets, unfinished business may be the bigger issue. Twelve appropriations bills, defense funding and permitting reform all await a lame-duck Congress with four weeks to act, raising the usual questions about last-minute spending deals. Mazzei’s pledge to eliminate Oklahoma’s income tax and the effort to keep data center costs off household bills point to a debate over affordability. Whether voters credit Republicans for the economy or blame them for the costs remains an open question as Election Day nears.