Trump’s red-state tour raises eyebrows and anxiety among Republicans

President Trump’s upcoming campaign stops in a number of red states are raising eyebrows as Democrats seek to expand the midterm map ahead of November’s midterm elections.

This week, Trump is slated to visit Oklahoma and Alabama, in addition to making stops in the swing states of Ohio and Texas. The president is also set to head to Nebraska on Monday.

Republicans argue the stops are all a part of the party’s strategy to get as close as they can to replicating their 2024 presidential year turnout.

But polls show voters across the board souring on Trump’s policies, threatening Republican chances in what were once thought to be safe red states like Nebraska.

“I think there are red flashing lights everywhere,” said an unnamed Republican strategist.

Asked in the Oval Office on Wednesday whether the red state tour signals trouble for the GOP heading into the midterms, Trump did not answer directly.

“We have the best economy anywhere in the world,” he said. “There’s no economy like this economy. The only thing we don’t have is good public relations. We don’t seem to be able to get the word across.”

Texas and Ohio are both considered toss-up states, but the move for Trump to hold rallies in seemingly red strongholds like Alabama and Oklahoma has raised questions about how steep of a climb Republicans up and down the ballot are facing in November.

“Campaigns and presidents don’t spend time where they’re not needed, so that is a data point,” said Scott Tranter, co-founder and director of data science at Decision Desk HQ.

One Republican source cautioned against reading into the visits, noting that the visits are part of a larger strategy of replicating the party’s presidential election turnout as much as they can going into the midterms. The source also described the trip as “hitting two birds with one stone,” noting that Trump’s stops in Oklahoma and Alabama will also play in the Texas and Florida media markets, respectively.

“Nobody can motivate the base like Trump,” said Dan Eberhart, a Republican donor. “I would rather see him in the more competitive Senate race spots like North Carolina, Texas, or Iowa.”

Trump has already visited a number of competitive states already, including Texas, Michigan, Iowa and Georgia. Additionally, Trump has pledged to make campaign stops in 35 competitive races in 30 days.

“It’s obviously a little peculiar,” said one Republican operative, referring to the stops in Alabama and Oklahoma.

But the operative added, “It’s the first of many stops as we know.”

Trump will travel to Mobile, Ala., on Friday, which is divided between the state’s 1st and 2nd congressional districts. House Republicans are targeting Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, which is represented by Rep. Shomari Figures (D-Ala.), after it was redistricted to benefit Republicans. The GOP nominee, state Rep. Rhett Marques, is slated to speak at the rally even though it is technically in the 1st Congressional District.

The president’s trip to Oklahoma, where he is set to be joined at a rally by his endorsed gubernatorial pick, Mike Mazzei, is also raising eyebrows.

On the surface, Mazzei’s race against Democratic nominee Cyndi Munson appears to be firmly in the GOP column, with the nonpartisan Cook Political Report rating the race as “solid Republican.”

Public polling in the governor’s campaign has been scarce, but Republicans and Democrats note the race may be closer than it appears.

“Democrats have seen polling showing the governor’s race is tied,” said one Democratic operative.

Mazzei campaign spokesman Jahan Wilcox cited Trump’s endorsement record in a statement to The Hill.

“President Trump has a history of backing winners, and we’re winning. We’re excited to welcome him back to Oklahoma and carry the momentum from his visit through November as Mike Mazzei fights to eliminate the state income tax, abolish property taxes for seniors and veterans, and make Oklahoma more affordable for every family,” Wilcox said.

Mazzei emerged from a brutal Republican primary runoff that he won by less than a point in August, giving him just over two months until the general election. By comparison, Munson won the Democratic primary with over 74 percent of the vote in June.

“The president endorsed and picked the worst possible candidate out of the field of Republicans in Oklahoma,” the unnamed GOP strategist said.

“He’s going there to try to save his brand,” the strategist added. “It’s tighter than it should be.”

The Democratic Governors Association responded to the news of Trump’s visit in a statement, saying “Republicans are in full-on panic mode.”

The Republican National Committee announced on Tuesday that Trump will be visiting Grand Island, Neb. That state’s Senate race has received more attention as rising energy prices under the Trump administration threaten Republicans in agriculture-centric states.

In an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on Tuesday, Nebraska’s incumbent Sen. Pete Ricketts (R) acknowledged the economic reality voters in his state are facing.

“There’s no doubt that high fuel prices put a strain on the budgets for every Nebraska family,” Ricketts told the network.

When asked about Trump’s campaign visit to Nebraska next week, Ricketts said, “We welcome him.”