Ohio and Georgia Become Focal Points in Final Week of Midterm Campaign

The 2026 midterm elections are approaching with Election Day set for Nov. 3, and both major parties are deploying their most recognizable figures to key states. President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Ohio on Wednesday, his third trip to the state in the past month. On the same day, former President Barack Obama will campaign in Georgia.

The presidential activity began earlier this week. Trump visited Mississippi on Monday and Texas on Tuesday. He plans to travel to South Carolina, Florida, Kansas, and Iowa in the days leading up to the vote. This schedule follows a period of high fuel prices, rising consumer costs, and an ongoing conflict in Iran.

Republican strategy appears defensive, focusing on states where the party holds a strong advantage. Party finances and the super PAC MAGA Inc. are funding candidate efforts in the final stretch. In North Carolina, Vice President JD Vance will campaign for the Senate race. Republican candidate Michael Whatley, the former national party chair, is running to succeed retiring Sen. Thom Tillis. He faces Democrat Roy Cooper, a former governor.

In Georgia, Obama is expected to join former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Bottoms is seeking to become the first Black woman elected governor in the United States. Obama will also appear with Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is running for reelection and is considered a potential future presidential candidate. Obama has been active in recent months, including a recent event in Michigan where he criticized the White House renovations and the president's growing wealth.

The Ohio race features a complex dynamic for the Republican ticket. Vivek Ramaswamy, a biotech executive, is running for governor against Amy Acton, a former state health director. Sen. Jon Husted is running for the Senate seat. Trump has frequently praised Husted, often commenting on the senator's physique, a trait from his time as a college football player. Former Sen. Sherrod Brown is the Democratic nominee for that Senate seat.

A controversy has emerged in the Ohio gubernatorial race. Acton’s campaign released an ad featuring her mother, Donna Arthur. In the clip, Arthur calls her daughter a liar who needs help due to a serious problem with honesty about her past. Arthur has not seen Acton in nearly 50 years, a separation that occurred after Arthur lost custody following the indictment of her husband. Acton states she has not seen her mother since 1978.

Trump has publicly backed the advertisement. However, other Republicans, including Sen. Husted, have moved to distance themselves from the ad and the family dispute it highlights.