President Donald Trump plans to visit Vandalia, Ohio — just north of Dayton — on Saturday, Oct 3, to campaign for Sen. Jon Husted, who faces a competitive challenge from Democratic former Sen. Sherrod Brown, the AP reported.

Husted was tapped to fill the Senate seat vacated by JD Vance when he became vice president. Brown is attempting a comeback two years after losing his seat to Republican Bernie Moreno. The Ohio race is seen as vital to determining Senate control.

"We definitely want him here. He's a turnout driver for us," Ohio Republican Party Chairman Alex Triantafilou told the AP. Trump had earlier vowed to campaign in 35 of the most competitive battleground races in the final sprint to November's midterms.

Ohio's governor's race is also tight. A Bowling Green State University/YouGov poll of 1,000 likely voters, taken Sept 1-10, showed Democrat Amy Acton at 48% and Republican Vivek Ramaswamy at 45%, within the roughly 4-point margin of error. Context: Trump's Ohio stop underlines how much both parties see the state as a bellwether for the midterms.