Trump to rally in deep-red Alabama, Oklahoma despite battleground pledge

President Donald Trump will hold midterm campaign rallies next week in Mobile, Alabama, and Durant, Oklahoma, two of the nation's most reliably Republican states. The Trump 47 Committee confirmed the Mobile event for October 2 at the Mitchell Center on the University of South Alabama campus, with doors opening at 3:30 p.m. and Trump speaking at 6 p.m., according to Politico.

The visits contradict Trump's earlier pledge to campaign in 35 of the most competitive House districts ahead of November's elections. Republicans are defending seats in several states that would normally be safe, prompting questions about resource allocation during the final campaign stretch.

“The President's ability to engage with and activate low-propensity voters is unmatched.”

Alabama's 2nd Congressional District features a notable race where Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures faces Republican state Rep. Rhett Marques. A Democratic internal poll from June showed Marques at 45 percent and Figures at 44 percent among 400 likely voters, though the survey predates Marques securing the nomination.

Republican National Committee spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre defended the strategy, citing Trump's unmatched ability to activate low-propensity voters. Democrats celebrated the announcement as evidence of Republican vulnerability, while some GOP candidates have distanced themselves from the president amid his low approval ratings and unpopular Iran policy.