Obama, Trump Hit Campaign Trail as US Midterm Elections Near

Former US President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump both campaigned on Saturday (Oct 24) as their parties fight for control of Congress ahead of the US midterm elections on Nov 3, the Associated Press reported.

Both parties are leaning on presidential star power as early voting gets under way, with millions of Americans having already cast their ballots, according to the report.

Obama Rallies Democrats in Ohio and Michigan

Obama, 65, campaigned in two Midwestern battleground states. In Ohio, he targeted Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy over an ad featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic rival, Dr Amy Acton. Obama said Ramaswamy had shown there was “no line he will not cross, no low he will not sink to”.

Republican leaders in Ohio, including Governor Mike DeWine, have called for the ad to be pulled, while Trump and Vice President JD Vance have defended it, the report said.

In Detroit, Michigan, Obama spoke to a packed high school gym and condemned critics of Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. He is due to headline a rally in Georgia next week with Senator Jon Ossoff and gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms.

Trump Votes Early in Florida

Trump cast his ballot early at the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections office in West Palm Beach, Florida, arriving with first lady Melania Trump. He said he voted for all the Republicans in Florida and confirmed he had voted the party line, before addressing a rally in Georgia.

At the polling site, Trump again defended the Ramaswamy ad. He also defended his instruction for a Justice Department lawsuit to block certification of Alaska’s Senate race if Republican Senator Dan Sullivan loses, over the inclusion of a second candidate named Dan Sullivan on the ballot.

Races in Focus Before US Midterm Elections

In Florida, Trump has endorsed Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, who is running against David Jolly to succeed term-limited Governor Ron DeSantis. He also campaigned for Republican Senator Ashley Moody, who faces progressive state lawmaker Angie Nixon for the final two years of the Senate term once held by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Other contests highlighted in the report include the governor’s race in Ohio, the Senate race in Michigan, Senate and governor races in Georgia, and the Senate race in Alaska.

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