Trump heads to deep-red Alabama to 'thank' loyal voters as GOP eyes a key House seat
His visit comes amid low national approval ratings.
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visit → head → ratings
Fresh off his visit to Texas and Oklahoma, President Donald Trump will rally supporters in Mobile, Alabama, on Friday night.
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Trump → rally → night
It is the latest stop on a swing through deep-red states to boost midterm election turnout among Republican voters and thank them for their support, amid low approval ratings for the president.
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It → boost → president
Trump won Alabama three times: by 27.7 points in 2016, 25.5 points in 2020 and 30.5 points in 2024.
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Trump → win → 2024
On Thursday, Trump explained why he is spending time in states he has carried easily.
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he → explain → states
"I'm going because you have to thank these states that are with you 1,000%," Trump said.
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Trump → go → you
"And I haven't been there in a while, and I want to just thank them."
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I → want → them
According to an AP-NORC poll, Trump's job approval rating stands at a record-low over both of his terms as president at 31%, with 69% of Americans disapproving.
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% → accord → Americans
Mobile was redrawn after mid-decade redistricting to be in Alabama's 1st Congressional District.
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Mobile → redrawn → District
The redrawn district, favoriting Republicans, would have voted for Trump in 2024 by around 40 points.
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district → favorite → points
The city also holds a special place in Trump's political history.
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city → hold → history
In August 2015, at his first rally in the city, then-Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama publicly endorsed him.
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Sessions → endorse → him
That endorsement became a key moment on Trump's path to the Republican nomination.
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endorsement → become → nomination
Trump came back to Mobile after winning the 2016 election and held an event at Ladd-Peebles Stadium as part of his post-election "thank you" tour.
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Trump → come → tour
Rep. Barry Moore, now the Republican nominee for Senate, first backed Trump at the 2015 rally when Trump was running in a crowded presidential primary field.
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Trump → back → field
The rally is set to begin at 7 p.m. ET at the University of South Alabama's Mitchell Center, which holds about 10,000 people.
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which → set → people
"President Trump knows how important it is to have rock-solid conservatives representing Alabama in Washington and Montgomery, and I'm happy to have him visit our state so close to this critical midterm election," Moore said on social media.
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Moore → know → media
A Republican National Committee official made the case that Mobile was chosen partly for its reach beyond Alabama.
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Mobile → make → Alabama
The Mobile-Pensacola media market covers the western Florida Panhandle.
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market → cover → Panhandle
The RNC said it expects the rally to energize voters and generate coverage in both states.
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rally → say → states
Several other lawmakers will join Trump.
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lawmakers → join → Trump
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, running for governor, and Sen. Katie Britt is expected to be there.
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Britt → run → governor
Former Rep. Jerry Carl, the GOP nominee in the solidly Republican 1st District that now includes Mobile, called the visit a "great honor."
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that → include → visit
The House seat to watch
The race to watch in Alabama is the state's 2nd Congressional District.
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race → watch → Alabama
There, Republican state Rep. Rhett Marques, who is set to speak Friday, is challenging Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures.
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who → set → Figures
The district's lines changed after the Supreme Court's ruling in Louisiana v. Callais weakened the Voting Rights Act.
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ruling → change → Act
Following that ruling, Alabama reinstated its 2023 congressional map, which federal courts had previously found discriminatory against Black Alabamians.
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courts → follow → Alabamians
Figures won the seat in 2024 with 54.6% of the vote under a court-drawn map.
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Figures → win → map
Now the Cook Political Report calls him the "clear underdog," and ABC News rates the race as likely Republican.
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News → call → Republican
It is one of several contests that could help decide control of the House.
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that → help → House
After Alabama, the president will rally in Ohio, which is the center of a competitive Senate race between incumbent GOP Sen. Jon Husted and former Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat.
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which → rally → Husted
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