By Kerry Picket (The Washington Times)
DURANT, Okla.—President Trump headlined a rally at the Choctaw Event Center on Thursday to push voters out to the polls in the final weeks of the campaign.
He dashed over to the venue after making a stop in Denton, Texas, at the Peterbilt Motors plant earlier in the day.
The president said he came to Oklahoma to thank them for “being so loyal to me.”
He stressed the states that Republicans are concerned about in the final weeks of the midterm campaigns.
“We are worried about Michigan, we are worried about Texas.” We are worried about a few states,” he said. “It’s all about 35 different contests.”
Mr. Trump called on voters to get out to the polls saying, “You’ve got to get out and vote.”
The rally is part of Mr. Trump’s push to hit 35 competitive races in 30 days to bring out voters to the polls to help Republicans maintain control of both congressional chambers and win key statewide races.
Mr. Trump talked up gubernatorial candidate Mike Mazzei, lieutenant governor candidate T.W. Shannon, and other Trump-endorsed candidates.
These include Oklahoma Republican Reps. Tom Cole, Frank Lucas, Stephanie Bice and Josh Brecheen, as well as Republican nominee Mark Tedford, who is running for the U.S. House seat in Oklahoma’s First Congressional District.
Mr. Trump also threw his weight behind Republican nominee Kevin Hern, who is running for the U.S. Senate.
“We have the hottest country anywhere in the world,” he said. “We’re not going back to that hellhole that we lived in for so long.”
Mr. Trump reiterated his pledge that if Republicans keep control of the U.S. House and Senate, he will give all adults in the United States a $5,000 check.
“If the Republicans win, you will each have $5,000 in your pocket and economic success to our country like you’ve never seen before,” he said.
Supporters of the president packed the venue, wearing red MAGA hats and Trump campaign T-shirts.
On affordability, Ron Melton, 71, of Blanchard, Okla., said prices went up during the Biden administration.
“You’re not going to move those back down,” Mr. Melton said. “The issue with the spike in the petroleum right now is short-term, but it will go down.”
Stephen Shulze, a retiree from Durant, said that as a Catholic, his views on abortion align more with the Republican Party and that the Democratic Party is too different from the party he remembered.
“The Republican Party is more to what I believe in,” he said. “Democrats are not the Democrats of most Oklahomans. I’ve lived in Oklahoma all my life. My mom and dad were Democrats. The Democrat Party is not even close to what it was back then.”
Mr. Trump recorded a video message to Oklahoma voters before Air Force One landed, which Sen. James Lankford, Oklahoma Republican, posted on his social media and thanked the president.
“Hello to all the hardworking, freedom-loving patriots of the Tulsa State Fair. And, by the way, Tulsa happens to be located in a state that I love. It’s called Oklahoma. A place I won big all three times,” Mr. Trump said in the video.
Mr. Trump won Oklahoma in 2016, 2020 and 2024 and captured all 77 counties in each presidential cycle he ran.
“I want to thank Oklahoma for your support and a special thanks to a really, really excellent, great senator – James Lankford, friend of mine – along with your next senator, Kevin Hern,” he said.
“And I want to thank you, Oklahoma. You’ve been a special place and a special state,” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Hern is facing Democratic nominee N’Kiyla “Jasmine” Thomas, Libertarian Sevier White and independents Ron Meinhardt and Curtis Stinnett for the U.S. Senate seat previously occupied by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.
Sen. Alan Armstrong was tapped by Gov. Kevin Stitt to fill the seat after Mr. Mullin was confirmed as Secretary of Homeland Security.
This article was made available to WMAL via The Washington Times.
