COLUMBUS, Ohio — What started out as one rally for President Donald Trump in the Buckeye State next week has now turned into two.
Trump will hold a rally at the a fixed-based operator Wright Brothers Aero in Vandalia, which is near Dayton, Monday at 4:30 p.m. with the theme “Fighting for the American Worker.” Later in the evening, he’ll hold a “Great American Comeback Event” at Grand Aire, another fixed-based operator in Swanton near Toledo, at 7 p.m.
Everyone signing up for the rallies must agree to a disclaimer saying they are voluntarily putting themselves at risk for COVID-19.
The visit follows a stop from Vice President Mike Pence at the Muskingum County Fairgrounds in Zanesville Wednesday, where he said Trump kept his promise to kickstart the economy and agreed Trump helped push the Big Ten to reinstate its football season.
“This president fought for jobs here, and he fought for college football,” Pence said.
This isn’t the president’s first trip to Ohio. In early August, he held a fundraiser in Cleveland, and then spoke at the Whirlpool plant in Clyde, trying to drive home is “buy American” initiative. He also held a rally in Toledo in January.
His opponent, Vice President Joe Biden, hasn’t visited the state since March 10. However, Jill Biden plans to speak virtually to Ohio volunteers, for what the campaign is calling the largest action weekend.
The candidates are in a tight race in Ohio. Currently, Trump holds a not even 2 percent lead over Biden, according to FiveThirtyEight. The narrow lead follows a trend since April. Up until August, Biden held the lead by no more than 3 percent.
To fuel the race, both candidates are investigating millions in advertising in the state. The Trump campaign and allies have so far invested $22 million in advertisements, whereas the Biden campaign and their allies have invested $9 million, according to data from the ad-tracking firm Advertising Analytics and analyzed by NPR.
As Trump prepares for his visit to Swanton, he’ll be near another key battleground state: Michigan. When it comes to advertisments there, the Biden campaign is on top by nearly $30 million.
Biden is currently leading Trump in Michigan by 8 percent, according to FiveThirtyEight.
