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Trump Barnstorms Deep-Red Texas and Oklahoma 33 Days Before a Vote That Could Flip the Senate
The president toured a Peterbilt truck factory alongside Senate hopeful Ken Paxton before heading to a Durant rally, part of a sprint through friendly territory as Republicans brace for a tough November.
President Trump spent Thursday deep in Republican country, touring a truck factory in Texas and headlining a rally in Oklahoma — two states Republicans aren't remotely worried about losing, which is exactly why the trip raised eyebrows.
Trump visited Peterbilt Motors' factory in Denton, Texas, to tout what he's calling a manufacturing resurgence, appearing alongside Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican nominee for Senate. From there, the president headed to Durant, Oklahoma, for a rally urging voters to turn out for down-ballot Republicans.
Red States, Blue Anxiety
Neither Texas nor Oklahoma is in serious national play this cycle, and that's the puzzle Republican strategists have been chewing on. Trump has pledged to make stops in 35 competitive races over 30 days, but his red-state swing — Oklahoma, Alabama, Nebraska, Ohio and Texas — has puzzled some in his own party given how safe those states already are for the GOP.
Part of the logic is about media geography rather than electoral math: a rally in Oklahoma plays heavily into the Texas media market, just as a stop in Alabama bleeds into Florida coverage. Ohio and Texas both carry contested Senate and governor's races this November, giving Trump a more direct rationale for those legs of the trip.
TRUMP HAS PLEDGED CAMPAIGN STOPS IN 35 COMPETITIVE RACES OVER 30 DAYS.
The timing matters. Republicans are defending a narrow Senate majority heading into the November 3 midterms, and recent polling has shown the party's hard-won inroads with several voting blocs softening as Election Day approaches. That's sharpened the stakes around every rally, even ones in states Trump won by 20-plus points.
Paxton's presence at the factory event wasn't incidental. He's locked in a competitive Senate primary fight and has leaned hard into his alliance with the president to shore up his standing with the GOP base. Trump's team has not said whether more joint appearances with Paxton are planned before November.
The White House has billed the factory visit as a chance to highlight manufacturing jobs ahead of the midterms, with the Peterbilt stop following a string of similar industrial-themed events. Trump is expected to continue the red-state swing in the coming weeks as both parties pour resources into the fight for the Senate.