Daijiworld Media Network - Ohio

Ohio, Oct 5: US President Donald Trump has predicted a “big surprise” in the November 3 midterm elections as he rallied Republican candidates and supporters in the key battleground state of Ohio.

Addressing a campaign rally in Vandalia on Saturday, Trump urged Republicans to turn out in large numbers, insisting that his party would perform better than polls and critics expect.

“Just get out and vote,” Trump told the gathering while campaigning for Republican US Senator Jon Husted, gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and other party candidates. “If you do that, we’re going to win, and we’re going to win big,” he said.

Trump's comments came as Democrats seek to make gains in the midterm elections, while several Republican Senate incumbents face competitive races across the country. The president's approval ratings have also come under pressure amid concerns over the economy, rising fuel prices and the continuing US-Israel war on Iran.

The Ohio Senate race is among the closely watched contests. Husted, who was appointed to the US Senate in 2025 after serving as Ohio's lieutenant governor, is facing former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown. Trump has sought to use his political influence to energise Republican voters behind Husted.

Ohio was a stronghold for Trump in the 2024 presidential election, when he secured more than 55 per cent of the state's vote. However, economic concerns have since become a major issue for voters.

According to the American Automobile Association, average petrol prices in Ohio have risen sharply over the past year, reaching about $4.16 per gallon. Husted told reporters before the rally that he was focused on showing voters that he was fighting for lower prices.

He also said the United States must win the war with Iran “on our terms”.

Trump's Ohio campaign was also dominated by the politically contentious issue of artificial intelligence data centres. The president defended the expansion of such facilities, arguing that they could bring major investments and economic opportunities to Ohio.

“There's so much money to be made for Ohio. You can't just turn them off. They'll go to China,” Trump said, reiterating his support for data centres.

Data centres have become a growing political issue in Ohio and other states because of concerns over electricity costs, water use, farmland and the infrastructure required to support large facilities.

Husted has faced criticism from Democrats over his role in attracting data-centre investments to Ohio during his tenure as lieutenant governor. A recent fact-check found that Husted actively promoted data-centre expansion and supported tax incentives for the industry, although the state's Tax Credit Authority formally approved the exemptions. Data centres received about $2.5 billion in state and local tax incentives in Ohio between 2017 and 2024, according to figures cited by PolitiFact.

Husted had also sponsored the Ratepayer Protection Act, which sought to encourage utility regulators to make large electricity users, including data centres, bear additional costs associated with power infrastructure. The Senate blocked the measure in a 57-43 vote after it failed to secure the 60 votes required to advance.

Trump criticised Democrats for opposing the legislation, while Democrats argued that the measure did not go far enough to protect consumers from rising electricity bills.

Brown, Husted's Democratic challenger, has made the data-centre issue a major part of his campaign, accusing Husted of giving tax breaks to large technology companies while Ohio residents face higher electricity costs.

“Senator Jon Husted gave billions in tax breaks to Big Tech to make sure they would build their data centres in Ohio,” Brown wrote on X ahead of Trump's visit. “Now, he's making Ohioans foot the bill.”

The Ohio governor's race is also closely watched, with Republican Vivek Ramaswamy facing Democratic candidate Amy Acton. Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur and former presidential candidate, entered the race with strong Republican backing but has faced a competitive challenge from Acton.

Trump's visit forms part of an intensive campaign effort ahead of the November 3 elections, with Ohio emerging as a key battleground for control of the Senate and other major offices. The president has sought to frame the election as a test of his administration's policies while urging Republican supporters to remain mobilised through Election Day.