SHARONVILLE, Ohio. — With a high-stakes midterm election coming up in less than two weeks, Republicans are rallying in Cincinnati, hoping to get their base to turn out at the polls. Vice President JD Vance and gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will be speaking at the Sharonville Convention Center around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Doors open at 9:30 a.m.
It comes as Republicans are spending a lot of political capital in a state they have historically done well in. Political science experts say Ohio was not initially supposed to get so much campaign money; instead, money from other states Republicans think they have a lesser chance in is being redirected here to keep the Governor and a U.S. Senate seat Republican.
This year, it is a battle for voter turnout. Republicans are getting their boots on the ground, making sure they appear in the battlegrounds. “With the President, the Vice President, other political heavyweights coming to Ohio, it's really about driving voters to the polls," explained Associate Professor Darrin Wilson of NKU. "And that's why you're seeing them in places like the suburbs of Cincinnati, parts of Ohio and others.”
When political figures come to campaign in Cincinnati, they are not just hitting Ohio. It is a political “bang for your buck,” with bonus exposure to Kentucky and Indiana.
