Trump backs Ramaswamy ad, piling pressure on dissenting Republicans

On the campaign trail

• Ohio controversy: President Donald Trump defended Vivek Ramaswamy’s ad featuring rival Amy Acton’s estranged mother, telling him to keep it up and thank God. A source said Trump thinks Republicans are “weak” for criticizing the ad. Trump spoke on Ohio even as he rallied in Iowa, where he stumped for Senate candidate Ashley Hinson, who says the ad “needs to come down.”

• GOP struggles with younger voters : CNN examined voting data in three states that have started early in-person voting. Returns in Georgia, Iowa, and North Carolina suggest that turnout among the youngest Republicans is well behind their pace in 2024.

• Young men move away from Trump : Nearly twice as many men under 30 say they’re more likely to vote for a Democratic candidate, according to a poll, a stunning shift after a roughly even split in their vote in 2024. CNN’s Steve Contorno visited Lansing, Michigan, and talked to two dozen young men.

In deep-red Iowa, Trump tells supporters: "We need the votes"

President Donald Trump brought his midterm campaign blitz to Iowa on Thursday, aiming to boost Republican turnout in the deep-red area while also inserting a defense of a controversial ad three states over in Ohio.

Warning that his agenda would be destroyed if Democrats win, Trump said the outcome could only be avoided if his supporters turn out in big numbers.

Trump warned that if “radical” Democrats win, their policies, including on immigration, would be “the start of something very bad, very dark, very horrible for our country,” later adding, “We need the votes.”

Midway through his speech, Trump spent several minutes recounting a controversy surrounding the ad Vivek Ramaswamy is airing in the Ohio governor’s race featuring his Democratic rival’s estranged mother .

Trump said he urged Ramaswamy to buck Republican calls to take the ad down. But in raising the issue during his speech in another state, Trump also seemed keen to elevate the controversy to a national crowd.

One of the candidates he was in town to stump for, Rep. Ashley Hinson, had earlier in the day said the ad “needs to come down.”

She didn’t mention it during her time on stage alongside Trump. Nor did she mention Trump. Instead, she took the time to slam her rival and urged voters to “keep Iowa Iowa.”

Trump, introducing Hinson, said he frequently takes her calls.

The speech, held inside an airplane hanger at the municipal airport, was well attended. Unlike Trump’s recent events, he was not repeatedly interrupted by protesters.

Early voting data shows Republicans may have a turnout problem with younger voters

Millions of Americans have already cast their ballots ahead of the midterm elections, and evidence suggests Democrats are generally outpacing Republicans relative to 2024. In several key states, this gap is driven by lagging Republican turnout, particularly among younger voters.

CNN examined early voting data in three states that have started early in-person voting. Returns in Georgia, Iowa, and North Carolina suggest that turnout among the youngest Republican voters is well behind their pace in the 2024 election.

In North Carolina , registered Democrats lead Republicans by about 20 points among all early votes cast through Wednesday (in-person and by mail), up from an even margin at the same point in 2024, according to data from the North Carolina State Board of Elections.

Republican turnout continues to lag. Registered Republicans have cast just 36% of the number of ballots relative to the same point in 2024, compared to 69% for Democrats. And while Republican turnout trails Democratic turnout among all age groups, the deficit is particularly severe among the youngest voters.

Democratic turnout among voters ages 18 to 29 is 60% compared to the same point in 2024. Among the youngest Republican voters, turnout is just 13% of 2024. Democratic voters 65 and older are at 78% of 2024 turnout, while Republican voters in the same group are at 50%.

This dynamic may be playing out in other places as well, according to data from Catalist. In Iowa , Democratic turnout through Tuesday among voters under 30 is 66% of the same day in 2024, while Republican turnout is at just 32%.

Voters in Georgia do not register with a party. But the number of early votes among Black voters younger than 30 is 68% relative to the same point in 2024. For younger White voters, it’s at just 31%.

CNN’s most recent poll found lagging enthusiasm among younger Republicans. Among voters under 45 identifying as a Republican or Republican-leaning independent, just 31% said they were extremely motivated to vote (51% for younger Democratic-aligned voters) and 59% said they would definitely vote or had already voted (75% for younger Democratic-aligned voters).

A caveat: It’s still early, and in many states this year, Democrats have started voting with an enthusiasm advantage that has waned over time. Younger voters also tend to cast their ballots closer to election day or Election Day itself. The CNN poll found 64% of Republican-aligned voters younger than 45 said they planned to vote on Election Day, compared to just 43% for younger Democratic-aligned voters.

在竞选活动中

• 俄亥俄州争议：唐纳德·特朗普总统为维韦克·拉马斯瓦米（Vivek Ramaswamy）的竞选广告辩护，该广告中出现了竞争对手艾米·阿克顿（Amy Acton）疏远的母亲，特朗普鼓励他继续投放该广告并感谢上帝。一位消息人士称，特朗普认为共和党人批评该广告是“软弱的表现”。特朗普在爱荷华州举行竞选集会，为参议员候选人阿什利·欣森（Ashley Hinson）助选的同时，也谈到了俄亥俄州的争议。欣森表示，该广告“必须撤下”。

• 共和党在年轻选民中面临困境：CNN 分析了三个已开始提前现场投票的州的投票数据。佐治亚州、爱荷华州和北卡罗来纳州的计票结果显示，最年轻的共和党选民的投票率远低于他们在 2024 年大选中的水平。

• 年轻男性远离特朗普：一项民意调查显示，30岁以下的男性中，表示更有可能投票给民主党候选人的人数几乎是支持特朗普人数的两倍，这与他们在2024年投票中势均力敌的局面形成了鲜明对比。CNN记者史蒂夫·康托诺走访了密歇根州兰辛市，并采访了二十多位年轻男性。

在深红州爱荷华州，特朗普告诉支持者：“我们需要选票”

周四，唐纳德·特朗普总统将中期选举竞选攻势带到了爱荷华州，旨在提高共和党在这个深红地区的投票率，同时还为三个州之外的俄亥俄州的一则有争议的广告进行辩护。

特朗普警告说，如果民主党人获胜，他的施政纲领将会被摧毁。他表示，只有他的支持者大量出来投票，才能避免这种情况的发生。

特朗普警告说，如果“激进的”民主党人获胜，他们的政策，包括移民政策，将“对我们国家来说是一个非常糟糕、非常黑暗、非常可怕的事情的开始”，后来他又补充说，“我们需要选票”。

在演讲进行到一半时，特朗普花了数分钟时间回顾了围绕维韦克·拉马斯瓦米在俄亥俄州州长竞选中播放的广告的争议，该广告中出现了他的民主党对手疏远的母亲。

特朗普表示，他曾敦促拉马斯瓦米无视共和党要求撤下该广告的呼吁。但特朗普在另一个州的演讲中再次提及此事，似乎也急于将这场争议提升到全国范围。

他此行是为了支持候选人之一、众议员阿什利·欣森的竞选，欣森当天早些时候曾表示，这则广告“需要撤下”。

在与特朗普同台演讲期间，她只字未提此事，也未提及特朗普。相反，她利用这段时间抨击了她的竞争对手，并敦促选民“让爱荷华州保持爱荷华州的本色”。

特朗普在介绍欣森时说，他经常接听她的电话。

演讲在市政机场的一个飞机库内举行，听众众多。与特朗普近期的活动不同，他这次没有遭到抗议者的反复打断。

早期投票数据显示，共和党在年轻选民中的投票率可能存在问题。

数百万美国人已在中期选举前投出了选票，有证据表明，与2024年相比，民主党人的投票率总体上超过了共和党人。在几个关键州，这种差距是由于共和党人的投票率较低造成的，尤其是在年轻选民中。

CNN分析了佐治亚州、爱荷华州和北卡罗来纳州三个已开始提前现场投票的州的投票数据。结果显示，这三个州最年轻的共和党选民的投票率远低于他们在2024年大选中的水平。

根据北卡罗来纳州选举委员会的数据，截至周三，在北卡罗来纳州所有提前投票（包括现场投票和邮寄投票）中，注册民主党人领先共和党人约 20 个百分点，而 2024 年同期两党票数持平。

共和党选民投票率持续低迷。与2024年同期相比，已登记的共和党选民投票人数仅为36%，而民主党选民的投票率则高达69%。虽然在所有年龄段中，共和党选民的投票率都低于民主党选民，但在最年轻的选民群体中，这一差距尤为显著。

18至29岁选民中，民主党的投票率比2024年同期高出60%。而最年轻的共和党选民的投票率仅为2024年的13%。65岁及以上的民主党选民的投票率达到2024年同期的78%，而同年龄段的共和党选民的投票率仅为50%。

根据Catalist的数据，这种趋势可能也在其他地方上演。在爱荷华州，截至周二，30岁以下选民中民主党的投票率相当于2024年同日的66%，而共和党的投票率仅为32%。

佐治亚州的选民无需登记党派。但与2024年同期相比，30岁以下黑人选民的提前投票率已达68%。而年轻白人选民的提前投票率仅为31%。

CNN最新民调显示，年轻共和党人的投票热情不高。在45岁以下自称共和党人或倾向共和党的独立选民中，只有31%的人表示他们投票意愿强烈（年轻的民主党选民中这一比例为51%），59%的人表示他们肯定会投票或已经投票（年轻的民主党选民中这一比例为75%）。

需要注意的是：现在还为时尚早，而且今年在许多州，民主党选民最初的投票热情优势已经逐渐减弱。年轻选民也倾向于在临近选举日或选举日当天投票。CNN的民调显示，64%的45岁以下共和党选民表示计划在选举日当天投票，而年轻的民主党选民中只有43%的人有此打算。