Former President Donald Trump to hold Ohio rally for J.D. Vance as Senate race heats up

Former President Donald Trump will visit northeast Ohio next week to campaign with Republican J.D. Vance as the state's competitive U.S. Senate race heats up.

Trump is scheduled to hold a rally on Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. in Youngstown for Vance and "the entire Ohio Trump Ticket," according to the email announcement. The event comes weeks after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a potential presidential rival to Trump in 2024, stumped with Vance in the same part of the state.

Trump's rally will occur at the same time as an Ohio State University game against the Toledo Rockets.

Vance is running against U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Rob Portman. Trump last visited Ohio in April to rally supporters behind the "Hillbilly Elegy" author amid a divisive GOP primary that surfaced Vance's past criticisms of the former president.

Ohio is attracting national attention as GOP groups pour money into the U.S. Senate race to boost Vance, who has trailed behind Ryan in fundraising. Republicans also expressed concern over the summer that Vance wasn't campaigning enough and allowing his opponent to dominate the airwaves.

The chosen location for Trump's rally is far from a coincidence. Youngstown is part of Ryan's congressional district and not far from his birthplace of Niles. The city is also the heart of the Mahoning Valley, which has become increasingly Republican in recent years as working-class voters in the area abandoned the Democratic Party for Trump.

Beyond Vance, Trump has endorsed a slew of Republican candidates in Ohio's congressional races, including former aide Max Miller.

Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Senate race: Donald Trump to hold Ohio rally for J.D. Vance