LIMA — Vice President JD Vance will return to his home state this week to headline a rally at the Allen County Regional Airport in Lima on October 9, as Republicans work to energize voters in Ohio’s tight U.S. Senate race.
The event begins at 12:15 p.m., with the vice president scheduled to speak at 1:40 p.m., according to the Republican National Committee. Vance’s appearance is the second of three Ohio rallies in just ten days: President Donald Trump appeared at an event near Dayton on October 3 and will head to Youngstown on October 12.
The appearances signal that Republicans are feeling pressure in the Senate contest between Sen. Jon Husted, who was appointed to replace Vance after he became vice president, and former Sen. Sherrod Brown. Trump won Ohio decisively three times, but polls suggest voters are frustrated by the cost of living and high gas prices.
“If you don’t mind, please pretend that I’m on the ballot,” Trump told supporters at a Dayton-area high school during his most recent visit. The outcome of the Husted-Brown race could shape which party controls the Senate for the remainder of Trump’s term.
National attention is also fixed on the governor’s race, where Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton are locked in a heated contest to replace term-limited Gov. Mike DeWine. Voters began casting early ballots across Ohio on Tuesday.
Early in-person voting runs through November 1 at county boards of elections, with Election Day set for November 3. Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
