CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — With early voting days away, President Donald Trump brought his midterm pitch to Tennessee on Saturday, asking supporters to turn out for Republicans up and down the November ballot.
Trump took the stage at F&M Bank Arena about 3:20 p.m., roughly 50 minutes behind schedule. He told the crowd to vote Republican and to go to the polls as if his own name were on the ballot.
The rally doubled as a boost for two statewide campaigns. U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty is seeking reelection, and U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn is the Republican nominee for governor. Trump said both would win and joked that he did not need to campaign in a state he has carried three times, saying he came to thank his voters. He pointed to border security, lower taxes and a strong military as the priorities he believes his supporters share.
Blackburn used her time on stage to talk about cost of living. She cited her work against a state income tax in the early 2000s, promoted the Nov. 3 constitutional amendment that would ban a state property tax, and said the state also needs to focus on workforce housing, energy costs and jobs with rising wages.
The stakes go beyond the top of the ticket. As many as three U.S. House seats in GOP-favored districts could be in play, and Trump’s approval rating in Tennessee recently turned negative, with 46% of voters approving of his performance. The Tennessee Democratic Party answered the visit by pointing to 94,600 Tennesseans who lost food assistance and nearly 31,000 who lost health coverage after marketplace tax credits were not extended.
Early voting for the Nov. 3 state and federal general election runs Wednesday, Oct. 14, through Thursday, Oct. 29. Voters must show a current or expired photo ID issued by the federal government or the state of Tennessee. College student IDs and IDs from local governments or other states are not accepted. Polling places, hours and sample ballots are available through the state’s GoVoteTN app and website.
