Trump rallies 3,000 at Ohio University's Shoemaker Center in Chillicothe

President Donald Trump addressed more than 3,000 supporters at the Shoemaker Center, the satellite campus of Ohio University in Chillicothe, on Wednesday evening. Hundreds of additional attendees watched from screens outside the venue as the president spoke ahead of the midterm elections.

The rally marks the third stop Trump has made in Ohio in recent weeks. He used the event to bolster the campaigns of Sen. Jon Husted and state gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Husted is challenging former Sen. Sherrod Brown for the U.S. Senate seat, while Ramaswamy faces Amy Acton for governor. The Cook Political Report rates the Senate race a toss-up.

Trump opened his remarks by complimenting Husted’s physique, a reference to Husted’s background as a college football player at the University of Dayton. Three hecklers were escorted from the venue by police, including one man who shouted that Trump went on Jeffrey Epstein’s plane. Trump responded by claiming he threw Epstein out of a club twenty years ago.

State Senator Bernie Moreno also spoke, promising to revitalize the Pixelle paper mill in Chillicothe. He stated that the paper manufacturing part of the plant would be revitalized. Some attendees whom Moreno said had their jobs saved stood and applauded. U.S. Rep. Dave Taylor, who represents Chillicothe, was the only member of Congress to speak at the event. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, Auditor Keith Faber, and Treasurer Robert Sprague also took the podium.

Before the rally, Chillicothe Mayor Luke Feeney held a press conference near the Ross County Courthouse. He described Trump’s visit as a Hail Mary, suggesting Republicans needed to appeal to a Republican-friendly area. Feeney criticized the Ramaswamy campaign’s ad featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur. Court records indicate Acton was truthful in her claims about living in a tent while homeless, contrary to Arthur’s statements in the ad.

Dee Collins, an employee laid off when the Pixelle plant closed, spoke at Feeney’s event. She stated that less than one-tenth of the workers who lost their jobs were rehired by the new tenants. The new employers include a nitrile glove company and potential future tenants such as a data center. Feeney also praised Brown for stopping the closure of the Chillicothe VA building.

Early voting was open in Ross County during the rally. The Ohio Secretary of State’s website reports that more than 6,000 people have cast ballots early in person, with another 2,000 mail-in ballots submitted. In the last midterm election, Ross County voted for then-Senate candidate JD Vance with more than 65 percent of the vote. Gas prices in Chillicothe hovered around $4.40 a gallon on Wednesday.