Trump rallies in Ohio for Husted, backs data centers amid midterm blitz

President Trump rallied Saturday in Vandalia, Ohio, for Republican Sen. Jon Husted and gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy as part of what he calls a 32-day campaign blitz before the Nov. 3 midterms. He told voters to pretend he was on the ballot and predicted a “big surprise.”

Senate stakes: Husted was appointed to the seat Vice President JD Vance left and is running to keep it against former Sen. Sherrod Brown. AP said Democrats likely need Ohio to have a path to a Senate majority. NRSC Chair Sen. Tim Scott called the race “dead-even.” A Senate Leadership Fund super PAC put another $14 million into Ohio this week, bringing its state total to about $93 million, NBC reported.

Data centers and power bills: Trump defended building large data centers, saying Ohio could make money and warning that blocked projects would “go to China.” He tied the buildout to the AI race. At the same time, he backed Husted’s Ratepayer Protection Act, which aims to keep households from covering data-center power costs. AP and NBC said nearly all Senate Democrats blocked the measure this week. Trump vowed to sign it “within 24 hours” if Republicans prevail, the New York Post reported.

Democratic response: Brown’s campaign said Husted “turned his back on working families” and is “only looking out for his billionaire buddies and special interests.” On Friday, Brown wrote that Husted gave “billions in tax breaks to Big Tech” and that Ohioans are “foot[ing] the bill,” AP reported. Brown’s team also ran a mobile billboard near the rally linking Husted’s support for the war in Iran to higher gas prices, NBC said.

Primary: AP (Seung Min Kim) via ABC Oct 3 — Vandalia midterm stop; 32-day blitz after Texas/Oklahoma/Alabama; Husted vs Brown for Senate control path; data centers toxic; Ratepayer Protection Act blocked by nearly all Democrats; Brown X post on tax breaks; Ramaswamy vs Acton. NBC News (Henry J. Gomez) Oct 3 evening — Butler High gym near Dayton; “big surprise”; pretend Trump on ballot / 44% less turnout claim (Trump’s words); NRSC August memo on data centers hurting Husted; SLF $14M week / $93M Ohio; empty seats noted; polls show Trump and Iran war highly unpopular (no invented %); Brown campaign statement and mobile billboard. NY Post (Ariel Zilber) Oct 3 — China warning on data centers; “superintelligence”; vow to sign Ratepayer Protection Act within 24 hours if Republicans prevail. Caveats: no invented approval rating number; Husted race described as tight per Tim Scott (NRSC) via AP; turnout/venue observations are reporters’.