Why is President Trump holding a rally in Northern Kentucky Oct. 17?
Unlike Ohio, which Trump has visited twice this month, Kentucky is not considered a battleground state in the fight for control of the U.S. Senate; Trump-endorsed Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Barr faces Democrat Charles Booker in the race to fill retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell's open seat.
The U.S. House district Trump will be campaigning in, like the U.S. Senate race, is considered "solid Republican" by the Cook Political Report. Trump easily won Kentucky three times.
So here are some reasons Trump will be holding a rally in Highland Heights, Kentucky on Saturday.
Fire up the discouraged base
Polls show an enthusiasm gap among partisans, with Democrats much more fired up about voting than Republicans. Trump's
rallies energize his base.
"There really was this political genius to (Trump rallies) that I don't think has been truly appreciated over the years," Trey Grayson, a Republican and former Kentucky Secretary of State, told The Enquirer. The rallies, he said, draw in large crowds, fire up voters, and give the president a chance to take a pulse on issues.
Get in the Cincinnati market
The rally is just a few miles south of Cincinnati, and Ohio has one of the most expensive nationally-watched U.S. Senate races in the nation, pitting incumbent GOP Sen. Jon Husted against former Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat who lost his seat in 2024.
The rally could draw Ohio voters, as well as fire up other voters who see snippets of it at home across the Ohio River.
Take a victory lap
Kentucky's 4th Congressional district is the scene of one of Trump's greatest revenge dramas – his vanquishing of fellow Republican Rep. Thomas Massie. Irate over Massie bucking the president on issues like federal spending, overseas wars and the release of the Epstein files, Trump and his allies recruited a Republican primary challenger – and successfully ousted Massie in May.
Trump held a rally ahead of the primary touting his recruit, Republican Ed Gallrein, who beat Massie with about 55% of the vote compared to Massie's 45%.
Poke Andy Beshear
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is on the list of possible 2028 Democratic presidential contenders. If he earns the nomination, he could face Trump's vice president JD Vance, who lives in Cincinnati.
Enjoy the adulation
Trump has made no secret that he enjoys rallies, even if they're rowdy and rambling.
Amid dropping approval ratingsand concerns of low Republican voter turnout, the president pledged to visit 35 competitive congressional races across 32 days leading up to the Nov. 3 general election.
So far, the whirlwind tour has taken him across the country from New York to Alaska to Arizona, as well as the two stops in Ohio.
There is one potentially close race nearby
Republican Ralph Alvarado, a former state senator and physician, is running for central Kentucky's open 6th Congressional District seat vacated by Barr.
Endorsed by Trump, Alvarado is locked in what’s looking to be Kentucky’s most competitive congressional race, with Democratic opponent Zach Dembo getting strong support from Gov. Andy Beshear and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
That district is adjacent to the 4th District, where Trump's rally will take place.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 6 reasons President Trump is holding a rally in Northern Kentucky
