Republicans scheduled Trump for Oct. 1 midterm rally in Durant
The party's listing put the president at the Choctaw Event Center 33 days before Oklahoma's Nov. 3 general election.
The Republican Party scheduled President Donald Trump to speak at a midterm rally at the Choctaw Event Center in Durant, Oklahoma, at 6 p.m. on Oct. 1, according to the party's official event listing.
Cooke County voters gave Trump about 17,000 votes in 2024, roughly five times what Democrat Kamala Harris received, according to the county's certified results. Federal Election Commission totals show he took about two-thirds of Oklahoma's presidential vote that year, a wider share than the roughly 56 percent he won in Texas, according to the FEC.
| 2024 presidential result | Figure |
| --- | ---: |
| Cooke County, Trump | 16,975 votes |
| Cooke County, Harris | 3,310 votes |
| Trump share, Oklahoma | 66.16% |
| Trump share, Texas | 56.14% |
Statewide shares calculated from Federal Election Commission totals.
The announced date fell 33 days before Oklahoma's Nov. 3 general election and eight days before the state's Oct. 9 voter-registration deadline, according to the State Election Board calendar.
In a Nov. 4 statement, State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax said more than 1 million voters took part in the Nov. 3 election. He said the vote total and the turnout percentage were both below those of the 2018 and 2022 gubernatorial elections, and that strong early voting had not translated into high overall turnout.
The event listing gave the venue as 3702 Choctaw Road in Durant and said doors would open at 2:30 p.m.
Trump's Oklahoma strength predates the rally. Earlier FEC records show him with 65.32 percent of the state's presidential vote in 2016 and 65.37 percent in 2020.
Durant has hosted a sitting president before. Barack Obama spoke at Durant High School on July 15, 2015, to launch the ConnectHome initiative and thanked Choctaw Chief Gary Batton, according to the archived White House remarks.
Midterm elections have repeatedly shifted control of the U.S. House. The House's record of majority changes lists turnovers in the 2006, 2010, 2018 and 2022 midterms. In 2018, the midterm of Trump's first term, Democrats gained 41 House seats and took the majority, while Republicans kept the Senate and the presidency, according to the House historian.
House seats Democrats gained in the 2018 midterm, Trump's first
The gain gave Democrats the House majority, while Republicans kept the Senate and the presidency.
Nationally, Census Bureau survey estimates put voting-age citizen turnout at 52.2 percent in 2022 and 53.4 percent in 2018, up from 41.9 percent in 2014 and 45.5 percent in 2010, according to the Census Bureau. The bureau also estimated that 47.1 percent of 2022 voters cast ballots early, up from 37.8 percent in 2018, and that voting by mail rose from 23.1 percent to 31.8 percent over the same period.
Midterm turnout surged after 2014 and stayed high
The chart loads when visible. All values are in the table.
U.S. Census Bureau
The high point of the period
View as a table
| Midterm year | Turnout (% of voting-age citizens) |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 45.5 percent |
| 2014 | 41.9 percent |
| 2018 | 53.4 percent |
| 2022 | 52.2 percent |
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